“Always remember to teach your kids this; if they do what needs to be done first, they can do what they want to do later.” This is a piece of commonsense wisdom from a woman I truly admire. Everyone called her Ms. Jenny, and she was my next-door neighbor. When I met them, she and her husband, Mr. Oliver, had been married over 69 years. They had two sons, the oldest is a neurosurgeon and the youngest, a successful attorney. Ms. Jenny and I had countless conversations ranging from politics to marriage and raising a family.
Devoted members of their church and never missing a Sunday service, in my eyes this couple was a testimony that living by God’s Word works for marriage and works for life! Ms. Jenny was over 80 years old. She was full of wisdom, had lots of spunk, and got around better than me. And boy, was she a good storyteller. My daughter couldn’t wait to go over to their house after school and listen to Ms. Jenny go on and on about the old days. She’d say “Ms. Jenny always has a twist to her stories that you’d never see coming.”
Ms. Jenny was a stickler for order and organization. In her home, everything had its place. Her attentiveness to detail reminds me of the passage in Proverbs 1:31-33. It talks about people that were greedy and were not interested in the wisdom of God, but they wanted to do things their own way; they lacked order and couldn’t care less about discipline. This passage says, “31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. 32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. 33 But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” It is very easy to see that this passage relates to our modern times as well. We are taught materialism, to want more and more, but the diligent effort and discipline that is required to be a good steward of God’s blessings escapes many living today.
This passage is also reflective of how easy it is to turn away from what’s important just so a person can live the way they want to live, rather than living the way God requires. Heavenly Father said in verse 32 that simpletons, those who refuse knowledge of Him, turn away from Him. This is spiritual suicide. Without Jesus Christ, we are cut off from God, and only a person who lives foolishly would do this. Life demands discipline, diligence, and determination; all of which, if not learned can lead to complacency and laziness.
In Ephesians 5:15 (NLT), God tells us, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” This verse is plain and straightforward. It is so wonderful of Heavenly Father to give us this warning. He is helping us to make better choices. God emphasizes that we shouldn’t be foolish because being foolish is a choice. He wants us to make choices that are wise, and He also wants us to follow the examples of wise people—to listen to their counsel when we are blessed to hear it.
Ms. Jenny and Mr. Oliver passed away, but their wisdom, counsel, and tremendous examples lives in my family’s hearts. We are so blessed for having known them, and we will always remember the lessons they taught us. It’s been some years since their transition, but as I write about them, I can’t help but think of the legacy they left. The love of God in Christ lived through them and touched many lives, and all of us can do this. If we will listen to God and live the way He instructs, being disciplined, diligent, and determined to do His Will; we too will leave a legacy that continually blesses those we’ve left behind.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Always Remember…” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.