It Matters {Part 2}
Yesterday, I shared with you how much it matters when we do little things to bless others. If you missed that post, you can find it HERE.
Today, I want to give you a word of encouragement that God can take those “little” things and make a “big” difference in His kingdom!
Sometimes I am a little worried about sharing too much about how wonderful I think my mom was. I would never want these posts to glorify her and not God. Each week when I write these posts, I can hear my mom saying, “Traci, honey, don’t focus on me…point them to Jesus.”
So I want you to know that as I share the wonderful things that my mom did here on earth, I want it to be very clear that it was Jesus Christ in my mom that accomplished those great things.
Mom’s visitation and funeral were two of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I knew my mom was loved by many, but to see the outpouring of love to my family during her visitation and funeral was overwhelming.
Mom’s visitation was on a Thursday night from 5 to 9:00 p.m. We were originally only going to allow 3 hours, but anticipating a big crowd, we decided on 4 hours.
The funeral home was packed as soon as the visitation began. There were faces as far as I could see. The line went out of the room, down the hallway, and out the door.
It was September, and the weather outside was wet and chilly. As the night progressed, and more and more people came through the line to express their condolences, I would ask some of them how long they had to wait to get to us. They shared that the wait was over an hour and a half! We found out later that the line to my mom’s visitation actually went all the way outside, wrapped around the building and continued down Main street. Those precious souls waited out in the cold and rain just to express their love for my mom and my family! It was after 10 o’clock before the last person left.
Why would they do that? Well, I believe it was because my mom touched their lives in some little way along the road, and it mattered.
I cannot tell you the number of people who were at her visitation that I have never seen or met before.
Here is what I heard over and over again…
“Hi, Traci. You don’t know me, but your Mom visited me while I was in the hospital several years ago and it meant the world to me.”
“Traci, I’m ___, you don’t know me, but when my wife was sick last summer, your Mom sent us a card almost every week to tell us she was praying for us.”
“Traci, we’ve never met, but your mom was our church secretary, and every time I saw her, she always had a warm smile for me and was full of words of encouragement. She will be greatly missed.”
“Traci, your Mom made the best apple pie! She made one for our family when our first child was born.”
It continued all night.
Sending a card, making a pie, or sharing a smile may not seem like a big deal, but to those people, it mattered.
My dear friend, Julie, waited in that very long line, and she told me about something that happened while she was waiting.
A man who was at the funeral home for a different visitation was looking curiously around the room at the long line that was for my mom’s visitation. He had a perplexed look on his face as he peered around the corner trying to see whose visitation it was. It was a look as if he had missed the “memo” or the evening news…. “Who was this lady?” he asked. Julie said she could tell he was waiting to hear a name he would recognize, maybe a local politician or well known citizen. Why else would there be a line of people wrapped around the building in the cold and rain?
But before Julie could respond, a lady in front of her said, “She wasn’t anybody special, just a beautiful woman of God.”
Now that lady wasn’t saying that my mom wasn’t special. She just meant she wasn’t someone special by the world’s standards. She wasn’t a politician, a news anchor, a famous singer or writer. She was just a mom, a wife, a sister, and a friend. Her position as a church secretary didn’t make her famous or wealthy. Yet hundreds and hundreds of people stood in line for hours to show how special she was in their lives!
That’s what the love of Christ can do in a life. He can take an ordinary person and do extraordinary things for His Kingdom. But we must let Him. We must give our lives to Him daily, and pray that He would fill us with His wisdom and strength to be the kind of people He wants us to be.
Sometimes I don’t feel very special. I’m just a stay-at-home mom. I’ll never be famous or wealthy in this world. Sometimes I feel like I’m not making much of a difference.
Do you ever feel that way?
Well, let me encourage you (and me). It is Christ in us that makes us special. If we give our lives to Christ each day, He will do big things in our lives. Things that may never get noticed by the world, but things that will make an eternal difference in the lives of others.
That’s the kind of life I want to live!
Thank you for letting me share the thoughts beneath my heart,
Traci
Thank you for your words. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day dramas and make it “all about me”. This is a great reminder of what’s important – and a great guideline for doing what is right. Thanks again – your mom would be proud that you are sharing the important stuff with all of us.
Beautiful post and just perfect leading into thanksgiving. 15 years ago I was on the receiving end of this type of kindness. Maybe you don’t think to bring meals to someone who is divorced–but my girlfriends did:) During the first few months, my heart was breaking and I had 3 boys to take care of. Many nites I would get home and a meal would be on my counter. One gal even gave me a phone gift card with a note, “…so you can call your mom.” In the mail I received movie tickets with a note, “…so you can take the boys out to a show.” My little guy was turning 11 and I didn’t know what I was going to do. With these movie tickets, we could invite a couple of his friends to the movies and have a birthday sleepover. God showed his light in the kindness of my girlfriends.
Traci, thank you for this beautiful story this morning. I have read of your mother through your stories in the past, but this one touched me deeply today. With all the turmoil in our world right now, I have been trying to come to terms with what is in my heart, and what is in my head. Yours words of IT MATTERS made me feel better this morning because even though I cannot do anything about this situation, the way I live my life will be what matters for me and for those around me. I will strive to do better today to be a more kind, loving, and giving person. You had an exemplary example in your mother, and it is obvious that she passed on her kind heart to you.
Wishing you and your family a very Happy THANKSgiving! I hope your sweet girl is doing well also, and will be home soon!
Sincerely,
Phyllis Johnston
Phoenix, AZ
Thank you for sharing your Mom with us. She remine me of my Mom. She too was a very giving and Christain woman. God is working through you in ways that you will never know. Thank you for sharing and God bless you and you family.
Thank you for reposting this today when my heart is breaking over my family and the holidays. All is not perfect in the world and it’s refreshing to see life is good for others. God Bless you and your family.
Perfect timing. Your blog has touched hundreds of us!!!!!!!
Just wanted to let you know that Shelia from the blog Note Songs needs our prayers. Her grand-daughter Carter, who is only 5 yrs old, is in the hospital…
http://www.notesongs.com/2015/11/urgent-prayer-request.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+NoteSongs+(Note+Songs)&m=1
Please add her and her family to your prayer list!! Thank you, Vicki
Hi Traci,
You don’t know me, but I kind of know you through my twin sister Betsy London. I’ve been following your blog for sometime now and I love everything about it. I’m a stay at home mom too, Mom of 4 awesome kids. And as I read this post, I sat here fighting back tears. Jesus in me, showing Him to the world, that’s all that matters. Thank you.
Hi Traci, thank you for these beautiful posts!, and reminders of what really matters in life! I love to encourage others as well and have been putting off writing some thinking of you cards! I’m going to write them now! You make a difference with your blog post everyday! Thank you for that. Your sweet spirit shines through on each and every post! I am not a blogger but wish I could do it! I would love to meet you in person someday ! If not in this life, hopefully in heaven!! Love, Mandi
I love your series “It Matters.” I feel like I knew your mom while she was here on earth. When my dad died suddenly 25 years ago (9 days before my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary), we were devastated to lose him at 74, but one of my best friends just showed up at mom’s with food several times (she didn’t call ahead and ask what we needed). She just SHOWED UP!!!! I’ve tried to do the same since that time and it always feels like more of a blessing to me than to the folks I’m feeding. Thanks for the reminder that everything we do MATTERS!!!
Thank you for writing these beautiful posts. I’m sure my dad and your mom have met in heaven as they were so much alike….all because of Jesus. As I lay in bed today due to Lyme and owondering if being a mom of 5 or a Joanna Gaines wannabe be so that others will feel welcome and loved in our home really matters- I am reminded that it does. That God truly makes our ordinary extraordinary and our not enough more than enough. Thank you. Be blessed this holiday season and praying for safe travels as you bring your little girl home :)
And some of us waited in line because of how much we love you, and how YOU pointed us to Jesus, in the way you taught us to read, write, and in the way you took us to Sonic after school. Love you precious!
What a lovely reminder how we all should be.
Beautiful post.