Wise Words from Betty

This past weekend, I had the honor of speaking at Betty Dyck’s funeral, who passed away on March 5th at the age of 92. Anyone who knew Betty also loved her. Her kind and considerate heart was immediately evident from the moment you met her.  Although I have only known Betty for less than two years as her Pastor, in that short time, she became a dear friend and I came to deeply appreciate the love and kindness she showed to both Lenise and me.

As I was preparing my notes for her memorial service last week, I was contacted by her son Barry who shared some personal information that Betty had prepared for her funeral. In her own words, Betty expressed the following request:

“I would like the following religious beliefs to be shared at my funeral: ‘To accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. To include Him in all areas of your life. To truly make Him your Lord, and allow Him to work in and through you.’”

As I reflected on her statement, I thought about how true this statement was about Betty’s life — that she truly did "include Jesus in all the areas of her life."

Betty, with all the many gifts she had, truly made room for Jesus in everything. Whether it was in her artwork as a painter, her needlepoint or sewing, her musical talents with the violin, or her role as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Betty made sure to include Jesus in everything! And judging by the words shared by her family and friends this past Saturday, it was clear that everyone saw this to be true.

Why do we so often tend to separate our everyday lives from our faith? For most of us, it’s not that we do this intentionally, but many times, we would have to admit that we place our faith in one category and our talents, gifts, and careers in another.

The truth is, God wants to be involved in every area of our lives. In fact, He wants to enjoy those moments with us, and when He does, He can actually help us make those moments even more successful.

If you are a business owner, He wants to help your business excel. If you are an artist, He wants your craft to be anointed and influenced by His Holy Spirit. If you fix things, Jesus wants to give you the wisdom to get the job done properly. If you are a parent or grandparent, He wants to anoint you to be the best possible influence on your children’s lives so that they, too, will know the Lord like you do. No matter what chapter of life you're in right now, listen to the words of our dear sister Betty. Who now with the angels above encourages us to include Jesus in all areas of our lives by making Him your Lord, and allow Him to work in and through you.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." - James 1:5 

Question: Can you think of a time when Jesus helped you accomplish a task in your career or hobbies?

Have a wonderful week and we will See you Sunday!