The Fruit of a Faithful Life

A good friend passed away last week. It was so sudden that we can still hardly believe it’s true. At the funeral, we tried to come to grips with what her life (and death) had meant to us.

It wasn’t that she was too young. She was 73 (but you’ve never met anyone spryer!) She loved hiking, running, and traveling. She met with several young women for one-on-one discipleship. She spearheaded an adult literacy ministry in her church, and was passionate about her role as hospital chaplain. It wasn’t that she hadn’t lived a rich and fulfilling life. Testimony after testimony was given of how she gladly poured herself out for the Lord. What shocked us was that so much vitality could be snuffed out in a moment.

As I listened to each story, I began to get a clearer picture of what true servanthood looks like. Her pastor remarked that their church had never had a more widely attended funeral. Yet Kazue never consciously sought to “make an impact” on other people’s lives. Her whole life’s purpose was to be faithful to her calling: to know Christ and to make Him known.

The leader of her denomination shared that years ago the church leaders had recognized her giftedness in ministry. When they approached her and asked her to consider becoming an ordained pastor, she was aghast. She didn’t have any qualms about women in ministry, but she considered that she was already fulfilling God’s purposes for her life. She didn’t feel the need to add anything to her resumé. She knew exactly what the Lord had called her to do and she just wanted to keep doing it with all her might. What could the committee do put give her their blessing?

I came away with a fresh encouragement to be faithful and to leave the results to God.  

(The woman in the navy blouse is Kazue at a baby shower a week before she passed away.)