Everyone has a story to tell. Our stories are full of hard times and of joy. Our stories are also full of moments where we can clearly se
e God’s guidance and direction in our lives. Our stories are a testament to God’s goodness and provision. Therefore, your story deserves to be told because in telling your story, it shares the goodness of God with others. Telling your story helps others see God’s goodness in their story that may be similar to yours.
Today I want to share my Aunt Marie’s story. She recently passed away and at her funeral my Aunt Kim gave a beautiful oration of three les
sons she learned from Marie’s life. It was so encouraging and each lesson is what everyone in their life needs to implement. So with permission from my Aunt Kim, I am going to share the three lessons we all can learn from Aunt Marie.
Number one, Aunt Marie never let her circumstances limit her joy. Every time I saw Marie she had a smile on her face. Obviously she had moments of sadness and I'm sure she got upset but she never let this change the joy that was inside of her. You see Marie was never able to have kids. I’m sure her heart wanted children and I’m sure at times it was hard to face this reality but true to her nature, this did not stop her from experiencing the joys of childbirth and raising kids. She became a second mom to my Aunt Kim and my dad. She was at the hospital when they were born and she kept them often. She even took my dad and his friend to the grocery store to experience wh
at shopping with kids was like! Instead of letting her circumstances get the best of her, she chose to live a joy filled life.
Number two, Aunt Marie can teach us that organization clears our lives from stuff and brings peace. I truly believe she must have coined the phrase, “There is a place for everything and everything in its place.” She knew how to keep a tidy home and she did not keep any unwanted clutter in her home. Every drawer and closet in her house was organized and if there were items she didn’t want, she either gave it away or it went to Goodwill. There is something to be said for keeping an organized home and life. If your home and life is filled with too much junk then it can clutter your home and mind and cause unwanted stress. Living an organized life can truly bring freedom on
many levels. It also shows you where your treasure truly lies because it does not lie in stuff. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do no lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” My Aunt Marie was more concerned with storing her treasures in heaven than on earth.
Number three, Aunt Marie looked for the good in every day and believed if you did this, you would find it. Her husband Uncle Glenn passed away in 2008 and my Aunt Kim and Uncle Robby vowed to take care of her. So every night since 2008 Aunt Marie would call them at 8pm sharp. The first thing she would say was, “well i’ve had a good day.” Even if her day was hard or something in her home was breaking down, she still found something good about her day to celebrate. She lived her life looking for the positive even when she had cancer and had to go through chemo. My Aunt Kim said that these circumstances never stopped Aunt Marie from having a good day because she measured goodness from God’s provision and blessing.
I think that even today we can begin to apply these three lessons to our lives. We can not let our circumstances dictate our joy, we can start cleaning out the unwanted junk in our lives, and we can look for at least one good thing from our day. I hope this blessed you as much as it blessed me. Her story just like yours, deserves to be told. She gave her life to God as a teenager and lived for him over 80 years! What a testament to her character and her love for her God!