Devotionals

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I want to share a story about a dear Godly lady that I had the privilege of knowing for a short time. Charlotte was a member of our church and always sang in the choir. I counted on seeing her bright smile each Sunday morning. She also worked as a teller at our credit union. She was so popular with the customers because of her upbeat attitude and ever ready smile. Charlotte was well-known and well-respected throughout our community.

A few years ago, Charlotte was diagnosed with cancer. As her health deteriorated, she became homebound. However, anyone who went to visit her came away feeling blessed for having been in her presence. She constantly glorified the Lord even through terrible pain. The thing that struck me most about Charlotte was her consistency. You see, her joy was not dependent upon her situation. Through many trials, her faith and her joy remained firm.

One particular day near the end of her life, a group of ladies from her Sunday school class all went to her house together to visit. As they were talking, Charlotte was verifying the names of each of the ladies’ children and grandchildren and writing them down on a tablet. When questioned about this, Charlotte confided that when her pain became unbearable, she would begin to intercede for others. She would call out the names of her friends, their children and their grandchildren. She would ask God to bless and protect and care for other people instead of asking him to remove her pain. She even went so far as to say she was grateful for the pain because it reminded her to pray for others!

That revelation humbled me to my core. How foreign to most of us is the very idea of putting aside one’s own troubles to intercede on behalf of someone else. What a Christ like example Charlotte was to all those around her.

While I truly believe that we should seek to be like Christ alone, I am so thankful for the Godly examples that I have had the honor of knowing along the way.

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