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Summary: Some Christians think God offers elderly saints a retirement plan with benefits. They have this idea that when Christians reach a certain age they somehow become exempt from the work of the ministry and can simply kick back and cash their pension checks. God has no such retirement plan. Gripped for His glory is a life-long calling.
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I can still see Kathryn waiting at the end of the sidewalk that first Sunday morning. Mrs. Lee was in her early 80’s and still as spry as a spring chicken and as sharp as a tack. (Pardon the puns. I couldn’t resist.) Well, ok. Maybe she moved a bit slower than a new-born chick. But try and tell her that and you’d quickly find yourself on the way to the wood shed with a switch across your legs. (Not really. But you would get a good lecture on the enduring stamina of great grandmothers.)
I was a single mother of two young boys and a brand new Christian. My pastor asked if I would be willing to take Kathryn to and from church on Sundays. I told him it would be my privilege. I parked my sky blue, 1960 Volkswagen bug at the curb and proceeded to get out of the car to help Kathryn. But by the time I shut my door, Kathryn was already opening hers. She made herself comfortable then reached inside her purse and pulled out two rolls of cherry lifesavers. After obtaining my permission, she handed the candy to two very excited little boys sitting in the back seat. From then on, she gave a roll of candy to both boys every Sunday morning, and became imortalized within our family as the “Life Saver Lady.”
Thus began my two year friendship with this remarkable saint. I quickly learned she was widow of three years. She had been married to the same man for more than sixty years. The story of her marriage is worth remembering as it demonstrates the depth of Kathryn’s devotion to Christ.
Kathryn became a committed Christian at a young age. But she married a non-believing man who made the next sixty years of her life very difficult. By faith, she determined to obey God’s design for marriage and submitted to her husband’s authority as the head of the family. However, she insisted he grant her one request. She would take their five children to church every Sunday and teach them the Word of God. He agreed and she faithfully raised her children to love and serve the Lord Most High.
There was just one bug-a-boo in this arrangement. Kathryn did not drive. So every Sunday her husband would drop his family off at the main doors of the sanctuary. Then about five minutes before services ended he would return to the same spot, race the engine and honk the horn until she and all five children were back inside the car. Even when the children were grown and out of the home, the Sunday ritual continued.
As you can imagine every congregant had heard of Mrs. Lee’s husband. For years, her church family prayed for his salvation. But it was not until the last moments of his life that Mr. Lee finally asked God to forgive his sins and surrendered his heart to Jesus. On his death bed, Mr. Lee then asked his wife to forgive him for embarrassing her all those years. Without hesitation Kathryn freely forgave him, then kissed her beloved goodbye and said, “See you soon.”
Kathryn was a prayer warrior in the truest sense of the word. She faithfully rose every morning at 5:30am to intercede for her family and God faithfully responded. Her prayers delivered her husband safely through the gates of heaven. Her prayers resulted in the salvation of all her children, and were instrumental in launching each one into full-time ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Kathryn was especially burdened to intercede on behalf of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, praying by name for their salvation and future service to Christ.
In every area of her life, Kathryn was a no nonsense woman. She had little tolerance for idle hands or idle talk. If anyone wanted her time, they had better be prepared to talk about Jesus, it was just that simple. “I don’t have time for anything else,” she used to tell me. Her time was God’s time and she was not about to waste a moment on fruitless activities.
Kathryn’s favorite verse was Genesis 28:15, “Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”[1] She knew the answer. Kathryn knew the God of all the earth had always done what was right. She knew the Judge of all the earth had done what was right when He allowed her husband to humiliate her all those years. She knew the God of all the earth had judged rightly when He brought her husband to faith in Christ and then took him home. And she knew the Judge of all the earth would forever continue to justly judge all mankind. At 84, Jesus carried Kathryn home and she saw her beloved husband once again.
From the moment of her conversion, Kathryn never stopped serving Jesus Christ. She understood set-apart sainthood was for life. For her there was no turning back, no letting go and no letting up. She shared the saving message of God’s love with anyone willing to listen until the day God whispered in her ear, “It is finished. Enter into your rest my good and faithful servant.”
Kathryn Lee enjoyed being known by my sons as the “Life Saver Lady.” But in many ways, she was a life-saver to me. As a new Christian, she helped me lay aside the past and cultivate an unwavering devotion to Jesus Christ. And she modeled for me a commitment to the gospel message few saints possessed. I will always be grateful for the example of her life and the gift of knowing this precious saint.
How about you? Will you follow Kathryn’s example and share the saving message of Jesus Christ with anyone willing to listen until the day you die? I hope so. When you and I get to heaven, then we'll enjoy retirement with everlasting benefits.
[1] Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Beginnings - Genesis 18 - (NLT - New Living Translation)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 12 Nov 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=18&t=NLT >
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