In Memory of Eula

When Bryan and his partners started his company some years ago, the income wasn't enough to feed our family of six. We advertised in the paper an offer for cutting lawns, and soon we had two widowed women that Bryan would weekly cut grass for. Not only were our bills met, but in one of these women we gained much more in wisdom for life than we had ever expected.

Eula was an elderly black woman, who had been raised in a poor home in the south by sharecroppers who had formerly been slaves. She loved to talk, and as we sat in her home, she shared much about her past, both good times and bad. When we first met her she was in fairly good health, but her physical condition rapidly declined when it was discovered that she had colon cancer. As the weeks went by, her pain increased, but we never saw her become bitter or angry or I ask, 'Why me?' Instead, she would quote Psalms from the Bible that she had memorized as a young girl, because they brought her peace. As time passed, our weekly visits became bi- weekly, and then daily with her calls for help with something she could no longer do. Her desire was to stay in her home she had shared with her husband until the good Lord took her home. She'd tell us in her southern drawl, "It's me and my Jesus!", and it was obvious by her attitude that it was for real. He really was enough for her, even though at times she'd moan in pain. Often times when we saw her, she'd break out in singing, 'Count your blessings, one by one, and then you'll see what the Lord has done...'.

When Eula passed away she left us with an indelible memory of a precious woman who may have been, for a time here on earth, bound up by pain and suffering, but who found peace through it, and freedom in the afterlife because she knew Jesus Christ personally. She knew the Word of God was the source of her strength as she suffered, and that it gave her the power to fight the battle of her physical body failing. All of this was made possible because she had made peace with God as a young girl- She realized her inability to do anything on her own that was good enough to please God- and she had accepted personally the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. By this simple act of faith she began a relationship with God that carried her through her difficult life.

Bryan and I have drawn a lot from Eula's example, especially as we go through his cancer. Like Eula, we're relying on God and the promises He gives us we go through the battle. Its reassuring to know that God has a plan for each of us, and that our days have been numbered by Him! Nothing can take us sooner than that appointed time! And when that time does come, we don't have to fear, because we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will spend eternity with God.

Rom 3:23- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 6:23- For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psa 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.