Five days ago, there passed from this life a woman who influenced my life so greatly. She was, first of all, my aunt. She was also my Missionettes leader, my Sunday school teacher, my children's church teacher, and so much more. Her daughters and I grew up attending the same school and the same church. We are all pretty close in age. I spent many Sunday afternoons and overnights at their house. I always knew that if my own mom wasn't available, Aunt Sue was.
When I was pondering about a way to pay tribute to her life, one word kept coming back to me: genuine. There are a lot of other words to describe her. Everyone knew her as one of the kindest people they knew. She was a servant in every way. She made everyone feel that they were important to her, and that their life mattered. But to say she was genuine, I feel speaks of the love she showed to everyone because of the love she had for her Savior. To say she was the most genuine Christian I have ever met is not an exaggeration.
I have specific memories of incidents that took place when I was growing up. When I was very young, I said something to one of her children which was very, very unkind. But as a child, I didn't realize how cruel it was. Aunt Sue brought me into the room where she was sitting at her sewing machine. She asked me the simple question of, did I say this? I answered yes. She didn't condemn me or become angry at me. Instead, she quietly explained to me why what I had said was so nasty. She reminded me of the love that God has for each of us, no matter what our appearance or physical qualities. She spoke to me in love, but without wavering from the truth.
One night in our Missionettes group, I asked a question about doing something wrong when we knew God would forgive us later anyway. She quoted James 4:17, "Therefore,to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Almost 50 years later, I am still often reminded of the scripture.
On another day several years later, I spoke up at a meal regarding something I had been taught at school. I was, of course, just repeating what my teacher had told me. Aunt Sue quickly stopped me and corrected me. Again, though, the words of correction were spoken with love.
Every time we have had a chance to visit my family in Kansas, she was one of the people I always made an effort to see. Because you see, I felt like I was visiting my other mom.
Thank you, Aunt Sue, for your life and your love. Thank you for loving me enough to tell me the truth. And thank you for being so genuinely in love with Jesus that those around you couldn't help but want to love Him too.
