Pillars of the Faith

I have been in church my whole life. Forest Mill Baptist Church is the place I call home. I went there as a child, but when my dad was called to preach, we would go wherever God called him to go. I visited many smaller, country churches. When my sister and I started driving, our dad let us choose where we wanted to go. It was hard to not be with my parents, but we both wanted to be back at our home church. Over the years, I have seen people come and go for various reasons, but there have been a few that I refer to as pillars of our church. Those who always were bold about their faith, encouraging others in their walk with Christ. Their servanthood and faithfulness to the church and to God was visible to those who crossed their paths.

For me, a few that come to mind that are no longer here with us are Billy, Jerry, and David. Just recently though another one went home to be with the Lord, sweet Ms. Linda. She was a bright light radiating Christ’s love to those she met. She was so good at making sure to greet any new people that would come in the door at Forest Mill. Over the years she spoke often of the goodness of God and how he is so faithful. I remember her always saying that we need to fill in the gap when our loved ones go home. I will be honest, it will be hard to fill in her gap, she left a mighty one. She was faced with hard times in this life, times of being a widow for several years and being the social personality she was, I imagine the loneliness got heavy at times but she knew God was with her every step of the way. She made that known. She was a devoted church member and a prayer warrior indeed. Her laughter was contagious, and she had a sweet spirit. She will be greatly missed. I am sure she heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”, as she took her last breath here, and took her first step into heaven. I can only imagine how noisy heaven must have gotten!

I pray that her life and the other pillars we each have had in our lives will continue to be an example to us all. They each faced difficulty but they never gave up on their faith and the promises of God. They are all living out those promises as we speak. I can only hope that more of us can step up and fill the gaps left behind of these devout Christians. The church needs us. May we try to do better. Love deeper. Be bold and courageous. Give grace. Live humbly. Spread kindness and encouragement. Stand firm in the faith and scatter seeds of God’s love where ever we go. Our lives matter. What we do matters. Not just here on earth but in eternity.

Reflecting on her life makes me ponder on the question of how are we using the time God has given us and are we filling in the gaps?

Until we meet again,

Hayley W