The Good and Faithful Servant

The Good and Faithful Servant
By Hannah McMichael
(7-16-2006)

I found an obituary in the newspaper the other day that really caught my eye. It was for a woman who had died June 28. The amazing thing was, the word "died" never came to use in the longer-than-normal obit. Instead it stated that she was "called to be with her Lord" and that "her transition to the Sovereign King was a beautiful one".

The writer of the obituary told that this woman's mother had died at an early age, leaving the young 16 year old girl to help her father raise her six siblings. In 1948, the young woman married and was blessed with three children. Later, in the later 1960's, the young family moved to Erie, PA to pastor a church. There this woman lived until the end of her days on this earth. But during her days here, she was a perfect example of what a pastor's wife should be, working not in front of him, but at his side.Her love for all people glowed. She opened her home to sick or abused children and mentored college students. Several Bible verses gave this obituary a peaceful feeling. After reading this uncommon version of an obituary, I couldn't help thinking "That's the kind of obituary I want when I die." And it also made me think, what will people say about me when I die? Truthfully I hope they say "Hannah was a sweet, gracious girl who loved everyone and always wore a smile." But what if they don't? What if they say, "Hannah was a crabby old bag who was always poking her nose where it didn't belong." Oh, horror! What will people say about me when I'm not here?

Makes you think, doesn't it? It sure did me (well, obviously, or I wouldn't be writing this, would I?). We really do need to be so careful with what we do in this life. We only have one life to live, but what we do in it will count for eternity. We need to do things people will proud of us for and be glad to talk about. And not just people, but our Creator and Saviour. What will he have to say about us on Judgement Day? Will he be proud or ashamed of us?

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he shall also deny us." During church this week, my pastor read this verse and then asked the congregation if anyone had ever deied Christ. Not one hand was raised. Pastor was shocked. He said, "Hmm, no one has ever denied Christ? But we deny him every day! We deny him by the choices we make." Now, like me, you might've thought "I don't make bad choices!" But the more you think about it, we do, even the "best" of us. We argue with our family members, even if only in our hearts, and thus deny Christ---He said to love those who do you wrong. When we hear a swear word, we brush it aside. We watch movies, we read books, we go places, we do things, even little things, barely noticed things that Christ would not be happy with. The more you think about it, we deny Him so much every day!

When I realized that, my heart felt completely dejected. To deny Christ! What a sad thought! Normally I would be appalled at the mention of denying my Lord, but to learn that I do it everyday by just speaking hurtful words and thinking injustified thoughts simply breaks my heart.

So what am I going to do about it? Well, for starters, I thank God that He has already forgiven me and continues to forgive me for sins past, present and future. Secondly, I want to encourage all those out there who are like me to have courage and try to do better. We are human, and somtimes our human nature clouds our judgement, but there is light at the end of the tunnel---and that light is Jesus. When He died, He took all our sins upon Himself, so therefore we can be saved and once we are saved, we cannot lose our salvation and forgiveness.

What will your obituary say? More importantly, what will God say about you on Judgement Day? I do not know, nor really care that my obituary will say, but whatI hope to hear from God is "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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Copyright (c) 2007 Hannah McMichael