August 21st, 2020: Eulogy for Missy

I was asked to give a testimony at church one day. This is what I said.

    It is very easy in our daily routine to put things aside that are not absolutely beating down our door. Often we pay more attention to the things we want to do before we give thought to the things we should do. Donating to a charity gives way to buying a new car or going to a movie. Spending time with loved ones is often sacrificed for working extra hours on the job. Going to church is put off for an extra couple of hours sleep. There is an idea of precedence that somehow, somewhere has gotten fully turned around down through the ages.
    In this world where man’s ability to do for himself seems to be growing more each day, his dependence upon God seems to be proportionately shrinking.
    There needs to be a return to the ways of the Bible not only in our homes and private lives, but also in our schools, businesses, and government. Has man become so arrogant that he no longer finds a need for God? Have we truly “progressed” to where we are afraid of offending those individuals who resent God? Why have we forgotten that God is every bit as powerful today as He was when He stood before a vast emptiness and commanded our entire universe and everything within it to come into existence.
    But that same God who created our marvelous universe has another side that reaches out to every individual on a much more personal level. God Cares About People.
    God’s love for us as individuals is such that He not only weeps over our sorrows with us, but the Bible teaches that thousands of angels cheer with great jubilation when a lost one finds his way back to God again. God wants us to be happy!
    As a Christian, I feel it is my responsibility to tell people about Christ and how He was the Son of God. You see, God loved us very much. He realized that as sin-filled human beings, we were not capable of raising ourselves to a level even to be in the presence of a God of pure goodness. So, He sent a sacrifice; while still retaining His identity as God, He became a man whose purpose was not only to show men through His life how they should live, but also to die as a substitute, removing all punishment for mankind’s sins. In return, God asked only that men confess their sins to Him, clean up their lives, and believe in His beloved Son, Jesus. With our sins completely removed by Jesus Christ, we can enjoy fellowship with God and the many blessings that He gives us.
    It is with these blessings and the love-filled act God committed just for our benefit that I have tried to convey so many times to people I meet daily. One such person was a lovely nineteen-year-old girl.

    She worked at the same store that I did, although not in the same department. She was a tall, pretty girl with long dark hair and a warmth about her that seemed contagious.
    She and I often talked about God. She seemed to enjoy the conversation and frequently suggested that we get together with some friends after work to go into our discussions in more detail. We never did. My wife and son and her personal life always seemed to prevent us from any discussions afters hours, so we pursued the topic at work, often incurring the wrath of our employer for not completing our work.
    We became good friends over the few short months I knew her. I kidded with her about her rock music and the loose morals it projected, and she kidded me about the antiquity of the hymns I listened to or the opera-style gospel music that came on my radio. We joked a lot, but she knew that my real concern was for her spiritual well-being.
    She was always willing to listen, too. She would never contradict or deny anything I told her. I think she realized that I was quoting from the Bible. She made me realize for the first time what “sharing from the Bible” really meant. I wasn’t telling a co-worker about the Bible; I was sharing a wonderful idea from God’s Holy Word with a dear friend.
    Then one morning, she didn’t come in to work. She was often late in the mornings, due to sickness or sometimes just over-sleeping, so we weren’t too concerned at first, but as it got later and later, we began to worry. After trying for some time to get an answer at her apartment, I grabbed my jacket and asked for her address.
    Moments later, I picked up the phone in her apartment and called for an ambulance. Then, not having any medical training, I did the only thing I could; I knelt beside her bed and prayed for her soul.

    This young girl was the victim of a senseless murder that ended her life at a very early age. Her warmth, kindness, and love for other people had seemingly been overcome by someone’s hatred.
    The questions I faced then were some of the most difficult ones I have ever had to cope with. When a person dies, a Christian naturally wonders whether he or she will spend their eternity in Heaven or Hell. Did they find their way to God, winning peaceful co-existence with Him? Or was the hesitation to accept God’s promises enough to cause an eternity of suffering?
    Was my friend saved? If she wasn’t, did I do all that I could for her? If she was, are there others that will die without God because of my neglect?
    The girl’s friends and family tell me that she knew God. I hope so, although I am certainly not qualified to talk. I do know this, though. I frequently felt the presence of God very strong when she and I talked about His love.
    And if we, as Christians, love our God, is it not right that we do His will? Often all it takes is a word or two, but much too often, this is just too much. We put aside what we should do for what we want to do.
    I have heard a story of a great crusade with a famous evangelist who asked that all the lights in the auditorium be turned out. When they were, he took a match from his pocket and lit it.Being the only light in the auditorium, it was easily seen. The evangelist then instructed everyone else to light a match also. Immediately, the whole auditorium was lit once again, almost as though the lights had come back on. The simple act of thousands of individuals, each lighting only one match had re-lit the auditorium.
    The moral is simple enough. One individual doing good in an evil world will almost always stand out as a match in the darkness. But if everyone reached out and did good for others, there would be a lot less need in the world today.

Eulogy for Missy
Lost one, what hope for you?
Was there ever any more that we could do?
A kind deed, a spoken word;
It’s late to wonder if you heard.
The times we thought, but did not dare
To let you know that we did care.
Should life be changed, or should we try
To speak of God or live the lie
Of caring from safe distances
While holding our indifferences?
One soul is lost, but many more
Can be forewarned of what’s in store.
A life of sin, a life of joy;
Our life’s a gift with which we toy.
Valuable jewel in the hands of a child,
Innocence seeking and carelessly wild.
Reach out and touch them, for only with aid
Can fears be o’ercome and securities made.
The Lord is our conscience, He troubles us not,
But reminds us quite often of things we forgot.
Can we love anymore, can we hate any less?
The Lord forgives all, can we do any less?
Lost one, what hope for you?
Was there ever any more that we could do?
A kind deed, a spoken word;
Too late to wonder if you heard.
M Ray Holloway Jr