“Being Jesus, It’s What We Do…”
After a few days of boundary testing and resulting discipline with my five year old, we were enjoying a peaceful breakfast together. The day was beginning like any other.I asked him, “Leif, would you like cereal or a bagel with your eggs, sweetheart?”
His answer and the following conversation cut me to my heart. “Thank you momma, thank you for calling me sweetheart! Gegaw use to call me sweetheart, or pumpkin, and I like that.”
“Gegaw” was what he named our dear friend, adopted grandmother and neighbor. A little over six months ago, Cathy Williams aka Gegaw went home to Heaven due to a tragic car accident. Living 4,500 miles from his nearest grandparent, Leif was very close to her. Her passing created a measurable hole in his life.
Leif went on to say, “Momma, can you be more like Gegaw?” Comments like that before your morning coffee have a way of hitting you between the eyes. The previous day was…let’s just say it was filled with learning opportunities. The work of being a full-time mom can be relentless, so when running a tight ship the mom can easily find herself slipping into drill sergeant mode. Leif’s innocent request convicted me that he was in need of some reconnection and love.
I tentatively asked, “Besides calling you sweetheart or pumpkin, what did Gegaw do that made you feel special?” “Oh, she made me good food, spent time with me laughing, and liked it when I was around,” he stated. He went on to say, “She did nice things for me and always loved me, even when I made bad choices.”
When I read James 1:22-25, Cathy comes to mind:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Cathy lived out her love in words and actions. She had a remarkable and overflowing kind of faith. Her loving actions toward Leif weren’t an isolated event. She looked for opportunities to embody Christ’s love. She used her cooking talents in preparing food for the home bound, her sewing talents in making unique gifts for friends and family, her entertaining talents for opening her home to anyone that needed a meal, and her gift for encouraging by writing endless notes, emails and making phone calls to those that needed uplifting.
James reminds us that we are active participants in God’s plan. When God calls us to be “doers of his word” we must ask ourselves, ‘what does the word call us to do’? Quite simply, we are to be like Cathy. We are to serve. The “law of liberty” discussed in verse 25 is the law that came through Christ and set us free from the old law but also from the law of sin and death. It is in this freedom (Gal 5) that we live and act. Jesus is a servant God that activates freedom for the world through his chosen people. We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), making our appeal to all we come into contact with. We don’t just make a list of “Things to Do” for Jesus…we ARE Jesus! We are Christ’s hands, his feet, and his mouth. We serve a servant God through service to those he loves; to our friends and family, to our brother and sisters in Christ, and to those who are still lost without Him.
Prayer: Father God, we stand amazed at your loving kindness. Thank you for giving us eternal life through your son, Jesus. Thank you for giving your son up for us and setting us free through his death. We long to show your love and grace to all and be doers of your word…living, breathing, and being your son’s representatives. Out of the overflow of a growing love for you, help us to first be like Jesus within our families, to our spouses and to our children. Help us to also see and to act when the opportunity arises to serve those in the church and in our community.
Anchor Point
Thanks Dana, that was very special and inspiring. I was blessed to have a mom who was such a good example, and you captured that well with words.
ReplyDeleteAmy
As always you inspire me with your wonderful ability to bring a lesson into everyday conversation. Cathy was "one of a kind" She will forever be in your son's heart that even on the coldest days, will warm him from the inside out.
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