Whoever thought they would be encouraged to be grateful for being weak?  Recently a godly daughter of God left her earthly home and appeared before Jesus. She received her very own white stone with her specially chosen, unique name.

(Revelation 2:17b – “And I (Jesus) will give to each one (believer) a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”)

Yvonne was the epitome of being someone who, though being weaker in her body the past few months, was filled with the immense strength of God.  When you visited with her, planning to encourage and bless her, you left being blessed by her deep love of God. The spirit of God lived in her and radiated from her.

The thing is, Yvonne, didn’t necessarily “take pleasure” in her weakness. There was a lot of pain some days. When we spoke, she shared that she struggled with the idea that at this time of her life she wasn’t able to serve others but had to rely on the service of others. I would reply that she WAS serving God in a completely different way.  She WAS AN ENCOURAGER through her words, smile, and hugs. She would share how God worked in her life and in the lives of others. She was very aware of God working through the prayers of His people. She loved to laugh at the humor in life, always appreciating the gift of Irish blarney. She shared how her 66 years of marriage to Tom were a blessing. Yvonne’s dedication to Tom in his last days was another sign of God’s strength through weakness. She would sing in Tom’s ear in church when his memory was failing. She saw the good in people and didn’t focus on the negative. Yvonne was FILLED with GOD’s STRENGTH.

My life has been so much richer having had Yvonne and Tom in my life.

I pray you will have a wonderful Christian mentor in your life and that you will be filled with the power and strength of God through your lifetime journey ~ Faye