“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:2 Message Bible

I have officiated at hundreds of funerals in the years of my ministry. A sense of celebration for a life well lived,  accompanied many funerals for the elderly, who died full of years. Others were touched by  heartbreak and sorrow . . . The unexpected, in the too early deaths of a beloved child, parent, sibling or spouse.

Funerals which were easier for me to lead, were not without deep grief or sorrow. Their ease was in the sense, there was so much good to talk about. These were the people who spent their lives  loving their neighbors, making a positive impact in the world, and life better for others.

One recognized a beauty in their soul, obvious to any who knew them. While grief was rolling over their loved ones, memories of grace, compassion, and kindness filled the air.

The psalmist writes, “A precious thing in the Lord’s sight is the death of those who are loyal to him.” Psalm 116:15

One of those precious souls and saints of the church, was  Pat. She took her ordinary, everyday life as a farm wife and volunteer,  and lived  her life  with compassion.  Whatever the need might be, she found a way to make it happen. The Youth fund she managed, seemed to have an endless amount of money available to bless our neighbors. Only after I had long since left the church, did I realize the official youth fund, and the unofficial youth fund were vastly different.   The fund Pat  drew from, was her personal account,  ready to reach out whenever she heard of a need.

At her funeral, reading from the text she chose, I could see how those words had shaped her life, and formed her priorities. “If you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. Love from the center of who you are.” Romans 12:8-9

Reading the words that day, one could see the essence of Pat, flowing through the text. Naming her priorities, her ethics and the moral compass that guided her life. The words were a reflection of her character and her life.  A life that had blessed and inspired all who knew her.

Indeed, “A precious thing in the Lord’s sight is the death of one who has been loyal to the Lord.” Psalm 116:15