Offset by a Giggle

I went to a funeral on Saturday for a friend of mine who passed away at the age of 41 of cancer.  She was the most phenomenal person I have ever met.  Her passion for God and telling others about him touched the lives of everyone she met.  She was truly outstanding.

Her dad said that in the couple of years she was diagnosed with cancer she never asked why.  How often do I ask God why he puts me through small things, and she never asked why He gave her cancer?  She understood that God was performing His will to make the greatest impact on His Kingdom.  She may not have seen or understood the big picture, but she didn’t need to.  I think that’s why she impacted everyone she met.  Her life was truly fully devoted to the cause of Christ, and people saw that she was different.  How can you not love a God that someone so passionately follows?

Attending the funeral I reflected on how much she impacted my life in particular.  Theresa was the international minister when I first started going to CMSU.  She enlisted my help, and I was hooked ever since.  She always told me that we could impact the nations without going anywhere at all by ministering to these students.  That impacted the rest of my life.  From there I became more involved in the BSU, which led me to be on staff there, which led me to where I am right now – in Independence helping plant a church.  Reflecting also helped me realize I am not as passionate about God as I was then.  That makes me sad, but ultimately it inspires me to do better.  So, even in her death God is using Theresa to touch me.

I am not the only one.  First Baptist of Warrensburg was packed the day of her funeral, and it lasted 1 1/2 hours because so many people had so much to say about her impact.  They said that there were several doctors and nurses in Germany (where she was when the cancer hit) who realized there was something different about her and her family.  They will never be the same.  There was a group of 9 individuals she was training to do missions, and the day after they left is the day she passed.  They will also never be the same… as letters that someone read at the funeral expressed.  There are countless others.

To quote someone who spoke at the funeral, “If I could live my life like Theresa, it would be an honor.”