We didn’t know Thea well when we invited her to join our small sharing group. She was newly widowed and as old as our mothers. Thea wondered how she would fit in, and so did we. As the weeks went by, we realized what a gift God had placed in our midst.
Through Thea’s example we learned the important role prayer and Bible study should play in our lives. Besides praying for us and our families daily, she sent us encouraging notes with Scripture passages chosen just for us and our particular needs. As we struggled to raise our families, Thea shared her wisdom gained from years of Christian parenting.
Thea taught us that you never retire from God’s work. As she approached 90, she moved into a retirement complex where she continued to share God’s word and love with residents there. Thea was 95 when she went to her heavenly home, but she still lives in my heart and the hearts of so many whose faith journeys were blessed by her loving example of a Christ-filled life.
This message is adapted from “Reader Call” written by Lorna Reed of Friendswood, Texas, in the January/February 2004 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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