GodReflection: The Ultimate IN Sider.
In the previous post, we saw the apostle Paul place importance on our insider position in Christ. He tells us that’s where life is found. Last month our family celebrated the life of a special aunt who died at the age of ninety-four. What made her special to all of us was what she became in Christ.
Every family needs an Aunt Edna. Ours was blessed with my very own Aunt Edna.
My first memory of Aunt Edna was in March 1951, I had just turned four. I’m sure I met her before our farm encounter however, we little tykes are so self-centered we don’t take note of everyone who knows us. From old family pictures, I discover she was family before I was, but again how much is a baby brain supposed to remember?
As I fill in the dots, our family of five had returned to grandpa’s farm in New Mexico to help my Uncle Melvin and Aunt Edna with the sale of the family farm later that month. There is no way all of us could have slept in that little farmhouse but, after a review of old black and white photo albums and the recall of family lore, I can see a roof always seemed sufficient to cover family—the number didn’t matter.
On that March evening in 1951, Aunt Edna and Uncle Melvin introduced us to our newborn cousin Sharon who arrived with her private incubator. Surely, she had the warmest bed in the drafty old farmhouse.
I never asked about the details, but I suspect it was from the occasion of the farm sale that my grandpa made sure the treasure of Grandma Dora’s 1927 Singer Treadle Sewing Machine went to Aunt Edna. She and the treadle machine were a special match from which she created art for the next seventy years. How she blessed others generously with her prize family heirloom.
Through the years it was obvious to all that this aunt held a special place in our hearts. Whether her residence was in New Mexico, Kansas, or Texas, her house was always open.
I hold a special memory from the summer of 1965. The morning after high school graduation I loaded my old green 1953 ford and followed them to their “to-be-new home” in Goodland, Kansas. (They let me think I was going to help them begin a new church). I guess Aunt Edna thought with all the stress of moving five kids, why not add one more to mealtimes and sleeping arrangements?
That memory and so many more give testimony to her open heart for others. From Aunt Edna glowed Spirit Fruit. She came with Goodness, Faithfulness, Generosity, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Joy, Love, and Self Control.
No one ever told me her conversion story, but I do know she was born into a family that followed Jesus. From the day any of us met her, Jesus was already at work as she invited him to grow these fruits in her life.
Her trust in Jesus was apparent. It was who she was. The fruit of faithfulness to his call was clear. Generosity flowed from her heart through the gifts she gave from her Singer Treadle Sewing Machine and over the phoneline as she encouraged her family. The Spirit Fruit of Generosity was obvious. She was in Christ.
The Spirit Fruit of Peace took root in her heart. I cite the Spirit Fruit of Peace because it seems to me that Peace is grafted into the other Spirit Fruits which remain in Paul’s list: Goodness, Kindness, Love, Joy, Patience, and Self Control, all were present in her life. While in her home that summer in Goodland, Kansas among other takeaways, I learned she was not a participant in family gossip. The fruits of Kindness, Love, Joy, Patience, and Self Control that she allowed Jesus to grow in her spirit left no room to judge others. She held strong opinions but did not belittle others.
Only God knows the countless ways Aunt Edna shared spirit fruit with all of us. Yes, every family needs an Aunt Edna. We were blessed with her presence. May she now enjoy her reward, her rest, and the “Welcome Home” she warmly receives from The Holy. What makes her “Welcome Home” possible is her insider position in Christ where life is found. I would love for you too to know Aunt Edna. One day that will be possible for all who are in Christ. How about it? Let’s be there. Can’t wait to meet your Aunt Edna. You can make the introduction. Wouldn’t it be neat for someone to surprise you by introducing you as their Aunt Edna, because you too grew in Christ?
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on An In Christ Tribute To Aunt Edna.
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