A Preserved Life: A Daughter's Expression of Love

My mom went home to be with the Lord on February 6, 2014. This was a very difficult time for me as this was my last parent. I then felt like an orphan. There were those who reminded me that I still have a Father who loves me very much. Abba, Daddy God.  It was with God's prompting that I was able to give my personal eulogy and expression of my love to my Mom.

Homegoing Service - February 14, 2014

Annie Pearl Williams, My beloved Mother

After taking time and reflecting back on the time that mom was with us, and talking with my pastor back home, I began to seek guidance and understanding about everything that she went through in this life, the physical life. I was led to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-23.....and it reads "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Then I began to think about why God kept her here suffering for so long. She lived a long full and beautiful life; she taught her children everything that she knew. Let me clarify, when I say children that meant every child in her life.  God has shown great favor over her lifetime. She lived through the loss of 2 sons, she lived through my period of crazy teenage years as well as my era of my 20's, she lived through life with 2 sons in military, she lived through my dad's battle with Alzheimer disease, determined that she would continue to care for him, although her own health was failing as well and finally she lived through her beloved, my dad's transition to Glory. Yet I still wondered why God allowed her to endure so much pain?

God then dropped in my spirit as I was reading and meditating on these scriptures, "A Preserved Life". I said "hmm, I think I get it. My mom's life has been preserved by God. Preserved. God revealed this phrase to me on January 25, 2014, exactly 12 days prior to mom's transition to Glory. The number 12 is a relevant number throughout the Bible and is demonstrated quite frequently such as 12 sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples of Jesus, 12 gates of New Jerusalem.  The number 12 is used symbolically to reflect divine authority and that God is always in control. When God wants to demonstrate His control, He stamps the number 12 all over it so that we understand, it is of His perfection.

According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, preserved means to keep safe from harm, or destruction, to keep in good condition, to protect, to keep alive, make lasting, etc. You all get the jest of what I am saying.

My mother was 87 years young. In her lifetime, she encouraged, she taught, she comforted, she witnessed, she disciplined, and with a firm hand I might add. Amen? She fed many, she claimed many as her own and she loved her family and those she claimed as her own.

Although our house was a welcoming environment indeed, you knew never to test her! Our mom didn't play! If anybody at our house, whether a resident or not, niece or nephew, or one of her "chosen kids", and I call them chosen because she loved and cared enough to share wisdom with them and disciplined them just as if they were her own, therefore EVERYBODY would get DEALT with and make no mistake about it....it would be  by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!  In fact, she didn’t have to even know you! You all know what I mean!

Now my mom was not one to spoil the child and spare the rod "oh how she NEVER spared the rod! Although she was quite a disciplinarian, she did it quite lovingly. In fact she loved us enough to tell us in every lick sometimes adding extra syllables to words extending the time and agony of our whooping.  My generation did not know the meaning of "time out, spankings or to have our electronics taken away". We instead got "whooping’s" and most times we had to get outside to fetch our own "switch" and that walk felt as if you were headed to the execution chamber. Heaven forbid if you bring back something close to normal, it was far too small for her liking! Mama would then go get the whole tree branch! And if we made her really, really mad, she would make us "wait for the whooping" and sometimes that could be days or weeks! That was more agonizing than the whooping itself! But then when she was ready, OMG! She would go back months from stuff we thought we were cool on saying, "oh you thought I forgot,  didn't you! You remember that time.... and then that other time.... and the list grew longer and so did our whooping.

My mom was a very beautiful and, an amazing, courageous Woman of God. She stood firm on every promise of God. She knew God was with her during the highs and the lows. She was truly an optimist with a free spirit, a colorful spirit, recognizing God is in control. Just to reflect on her colorful spirit, not only was this an incredible internal quality, but also reflected externally. She loved colorful flowers, colorful scarves, jewelry, hats and clothing. In fact, she loved color so much, that she shared her love for color with me at a young age. Looking back at my elementary school pictures, I was later in therapy a little while for the outfits that I wore and back then. One particular outfit I remember that was handpicked by my mom was a red and green plaid dress with hues of yellow accented by a red white and blue striped vest with white stars. I was convinced at that time that my outfit was the bomb. After I became an adult and revisited memories of my childhood, these pictures brought tears to my eyes, literally tears to my eyes because the colors and patterns were making me crossed eyed.

But seriously, it really is such a wonderful blessing to remember moments like this, moments of your mother's loving support as she sat through your school play as you walked out with your torn paper costume, or moments that she sat watching you collect school awards beaming with pride, remembering moments of mom bringing cake, or cookies, or juice to your classroom for a school party. These moments are priceless because my mother had that gift of making you feel special and beautiful in her own way.

My mom was an incredible pillar of strength and focused on the positive side of every situation or circumstance,  even when she felt powerless from the many trials and tribulation. She was not a well-educated woman, yet she was wise far beyond this lifetime and spoke with much wisdom to all who crossed her path. She was not a woman of great etiquette, yet she was a woman with high self-esteem, honorable character, self-respect and the Light of the Lord, which was reflected through her walk with Christ.  She was not a woman to get involved in meaningless things outside of her home, thus teaching us to be respectful of ourselves and to others, to be humble, to be a blessing to others rather than a burden, and to remember the great golden rule, "To do unto to others as you would have us to do unto you". Therefore her work has not been in vain because she followed God's instructions according to Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart it."

I hope you understand that God granted my mother continuous mercy, grace and favor. God predestined her life to endure hardships, persecution and long suffering to be evidence of His Might and Power for His Glory. God preserved her to complete His preplanned Work of speaking wisdom into those coming behind her and because she was preserved, when the adversary tried to block God's work, she remembered "She could look to the hills for help knowing her help came from the Lord." (Philippian’s 4:13)

God preserved her life to demonstrate true meaning of being a woman of God.  My mom understood that life was not all roses and sunshine every day and there would be many life storms and some wilderness days, therefore as a wife and mother she knew she had to stay on bended knee and pray her way through. She remembered that God said "I am your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

God preserved her life to teach and train up more soldiers to boldly proclaim the Gospel therefore building His Kingdom, knowing there would be times when she would have to depend solely on faith because there would sometimes be nobody to stand with her. She remembered Paul's instructions to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:3-4) "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved with civilian affairs (or this life) he wants to please his 'commanding officer' (or He who has chosen him to be a soldier).

God preserved her life to assure her family understood perseverance because there would be times when we too would become frustrated, impatient, discouraged and weary from the tiresome journey of life struggles. However, my mom remembered that God's Word says (Isaiah 40: 31) "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint".

And finally God preserved her life because she worshipped him, because she served Him faithfully, because she lived on God's  every promise, and because she was not ashamed to speak the Gospel. My mom witnessed to many headed down the path of destruction, telling them about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to trust in Him and to surrender their life to Him. She often spoke of the "Last Days", reminding us of what the word says (2 Timothy 3:1-5) "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them". My mom understood there would be many that would not want to listen, yet that did not stop her from proclaiming the Word of the Lord.

In closing, God finally called His servant, our mother, home to be with Him in Glory. She suffers no longer and her living was not in vain. Let us rejoice and not mourn. As Paul wrote to Timothy, 2 Timothy 4: 7-8: I believe my mother would agree with Paul and say to us, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing".

Let us be encouraged today reflecting on the promises of God as our mom has done. God bless you all.

From Rough Stones to Refined Jewels

What is a GEM? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a gem is defined as a “jewel”; a precious or sometimes semi-precious or valuable stone that has been cut and polished for ornament; or “something prized especially for great beauty or perfection” or a highly prized or well-beloved person. In doing my research on the mining process for precious gemstones, particularly diamonds, I found it to be quite interesting. A diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man. The word diamond is a derivative of the Greek word, “adamas” which means unconquerable or invincible. Diamonds are buried at least 100 miles underground. Therefore, in order to excavate the diamonds from the earth, miners must blast the area where they perceive diamonds to be. Once the blasting process is over, it is then that the diamonds can be seen pulled from the miry clay. To the untrained eye, the diamond in its natural state does not look like diamonds as we see them in stores. In their natural state, they are covered with mud, sand, gravel and other impurities. Once diamonds have been discovered and extracted from the earth, they must go through a rigorous process before revealing their pure natural brilliance, sparkle. Until that process is completed, it is essentially a “diamond in the rough.” There are 4 C’s that determines the value of a diamond; cut, clarity, carat and color. The steps involved in revealing the brilliance of a diamond include, washing, cutting and polishing. The diamond has to be washed before it moves along. Remember, it came from within the earth, therefore it must be washed and cleansed of the mud, sand, gravel and all other impurities. The cutting process is lengthy and requires a lot of effort to cut the different facets of the diamond so that its shine and sparkle can be revealed. This process requires the skills of an expert, a Master Cutter, so not to cut this precious gem inaccurately. If the diamond happens to be tapped in the wrong spot, it will shatter. The pieces are still diamonds but no longer have value as gems. The Master Cutter knows how much grinding a diamond needs in order to get the most brilliance from it. The next step is the polishing phase is very long and very tedious. It is through this process that the sharp edges and its surface are smoothed down in order to get to its true value, its brilliant sparkle and its real beauty. By now, I’m sure you are wondering why I am focusing on the process that a diamond goes through. There is so much more involved in this process that we could go on all day! However, I want to stop here and focus on the similarities of a precious jewel and those of God’s jewel. As one of God’s jewels, we as Christians go through a rigorous process very much like a diamond. As any diamond in the rough that takes a lot of time and work and love, we have been specifically selected, because—God has made us of "gem-quality material." “If you think the person you are right now, will get you to become a diamond, you are mistaken!” The transformation of being refined into the precious gems as God sees us, takes much work. It will not happen overnight. In fact it will take the most of our lifetime. Let me just say this, “you are going to go through some stuff . Why, is that, you ask? Because the Word of God tells us so! In (II Timothy 3:12) Paul writes to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” It will be painful, agonizing at times, will seem hopeless at times, helpless at times. Sometimes there will be extreme pressure and extreme heat and it will be a very slow and painful process. We wonder how we should find joy when we are experiencing turmoil in our lives. We just have to remember that God loves us so much and He sees us as precious jewels! “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scouregeth every son whom he receiveth,”(Heb12:6.) “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (Hebrews 12:11). Just like diamonds, there are 4 C’s to a spiritual diamond: Conviction, Commitment, Courage and Character. All are equally important as they build upon each other. Conviction. The degree to which one knows and believes the Word of God. Being sure of what you believe! There is no room for doubt. We must believe! Hebrews 11:6 says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” You all remember back in the book of Genesis Ch 39 the story of Joseph and the Potiphar’s wife? Joseph was fine and she wanted him ya’ll! But Joseph understood the real meaning of conviction and knew what was right from wrong. And what she was asking him to do was evil and wrong. The good thing is when we are being tempted, there is always a way out. Joseph was like, “Deuces” as he immediately left her! Commitment. The degree to which one consistently acts on that knowledge and belief. It’s making a firm decision way in advance of the circumstances you will be faced with. If you truly believe what God’s word says, then when trouble comes, you are committed to holding fast to God’s unchangeable hand. In other words, you are binding yourself to a certain course of action based upon the truth of your conviction! Hallelujah! Did you all hear what I just said? Let me say that one more time. Your commitment means you are bound to a certain course of action based upon the truth of your conviction! We have to take a stand. Stand firm! If we are not solid with our conviction (faith) then we are open to be compromised in our commitment meaning we can go left and right because we are not sure! Conviction and Commitment go hand in hand! Courage. The degree to which one is able to persevere in the time of trouble. To have the courage to withstand the storms of life, we must be solid in our conviction, and committed to standing on the Word of God. When we are facing those raging storms of life, it will take all of our strength and boldness to stand by our commitment. But we are so worried about losing our status in society, losing our wordly titles, and even worried about losing our jobs so we compromise our commitment making us weak. Character. The degree to which one is conformed to the image of God’s perfect Son, Jesus Christ. God is building character in all of us as He refines us into precious jewels! If you look at these qualities as levels of a pyramid, we would see conviction as the base (our foundation)! Followed by commitment and courage. At the very top is our character! It is our character that will take us into eternity! This is why God calls us His jewels therefore Malachi 3:17 says “They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, On the day that I make them my jewels…” When we are suffering and going through the fire of trials and tribulations, God is grinding us during those times. God is working on our character. The beauty of enduring during those troubling times is God’s Grace! God is our Master Gemologist. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5: 3-4. In order for God to remove all impurities in us, He has to put us in the middle of the fire—so to speak—where the flames are hottest. Peter talks of our loving God who has begotten us again "to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you... In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter:1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,, 6-7). Remember, God is making His precious treasure, and that is what it takes to be refined! God will not leave us in the fire to long. Paul writes: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians:10:13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.). He doesn't rejoice in our sufferings. He would rather avoid them. But He knows that they are necessary. We as daughters of the King should have one common goal and that goal is to become a spiritual diamond. We MUST have Unshakeable conviction, Unwavering commitment, Unflinching courage, and Christlike character. GEMS are God’s DIVINE CREATION "A precious jewel is the production of God and only God. Diamonds can withstand extreme heat, extreme pressure and are the hardest known substance to man. A better way to see the value God sees in each of us, just as we see a diamond that has just been pulled from the miry clay, every person is truly a diamond, being the toughest substance in existence. Regardless of our behavior and outward appearance, God can see our soul underneath all the rubble and it remains intact. Just like a diamond, we therefore are Unconquerable as the word diamond is Greek word, Adamas meaning invincible and unconquerable. GEMS are Beautiful To His disciples the Lord Jesus said, "You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14), and why are they so? Because He could say "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16): "so shine" that Christ gets all the glory; "so shine" that we make it clear and plain to all that whatever goodness or righteousness there is in us, and whatever fruits are produced by us, all is from Christ as the Root. VARIETY of God’s Gems Precious stones vary considerably both in color and in size, kind and value, brilliance and worth. If order is Heaven's first law, variety is certainly its second, for there is no uniformity in the ways and works of God, though there is a blessed underlying unity. So gems, all are valuable, but all are not the same. There is the clear diamond, the red ruby, the green emerald, the blue sapphire, the violet amethyst and so, on. So it is among the saints. All are God's children, all bear the marks of the Divine "workmanship" (Eph. 2:10), all are equally precious to Christ, but all are not alike. HISTORY of God’s GEMS Precious jewels come from humble beginnings as they are discovered in the mud and mire of earth. Diamonds have been buried in the earth under rocks, sand, and mud, etc. for centuries "Look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you are dug" (Isaiah 51:1). O the lowly origin of the Christian: "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock" (Psalm 40:2). God’s DESTINY for GEMS "You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God" (Isaiah 62:3). Wondrous is it to think of rough stones, which first look like small pebbles, being found in the mud and mire of earth; then cut and polished until they scintillate with a brilliancy surpassing any earthly object, and being given an honored place in the diadem of a monarch. But infinitely more wonderful is it that poor lost sinners, saved by sovereign grace, should be among the crown-jewels of the Son of God. But He will yet "present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Then shall He say to the Father, "The glory which You gave Me I have given them" (John 17:22). "And they shall be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in that day when I make up My jewels" (Mal. 3:17). What is meant by "When I make up My jewels"? Is it not when the complete number of His redeemed are regenerated and polished? Is it not when He shall descend from Heaven with a shout, resurrect the sleeping saints and transform the living ones and rapture them together, so that we shall "ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17): "make up" (Mal. 3:17), "caught up" (1 Thess. 4:17)! God is working in each of us to create in us a unique gem. And for God—the Master Gemologist—to smooth the rough edges and polish us and cut the different facets of His character, it is vital that we feel like gems in His expert hands. Are you willing to allow God to work on you? Are you strong enough to endure the pain and suffering and count it all joy? Are you willing to allow the Word of God to convict you? Are you willing to be committed to a GEMS lifestyle? If you are, please stand with me and take rock in your hand and look at yourself. Do you like what you see? Can you see the diamond underneath all of your stuff? Can you see the image of Christ as you look as this hard shell? Is that you? What are you willing to do about it? Will you surrender yourself today? God bless you all!