Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers,

love one another deeply, from the heart.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

I Peter 1:21-25, NIV (1978)

My Aunt Earlene passed away several weeks back at the ripe old age of 95. Her family held a memorial service for her yesterday, and I wanted to tell you a bit about the things that her children shared as they looked back on the life of this godly woman. I was delighted to learn more about her for, though she could not have realized it and was far too humble to have admitted it had she known, she was instrumental in helping me to enjoy the life of rich blessing that God has given me and my family. The reason she did was because of her faithful adherence to the command given in the passage above: She truly loved people, deeply from her heart.

Here, then, is the story of how this remarkable woman made such an impact on my life: When Earlene was born in 1928 in the panhandle of Texas, things were hard. A few years later as the Dust Bowl and Great Depression took a death grip on that part of the world, things got even harder. My grandparents were farmers, sharecroppers, and even itinerant workers for a time. They lived the "Grapes of Wrath" story in real life, having lost everything in the dust bowl and moving with a family of six kids to the fruit fields of California for a few years. It was at this time, starting at about the age of five, that Earlene began to take care of her four younger siblings while her parents and older sister worked in the fields.

Her older sister would later say that Earlene had been born with a mature and caring nature. Whatever the case, whether the needs of the situation or being born with that nature, Earlene became a second mother to her three younger brothers and one baby sister. One of the brothers would grow up to be my dad.

It has long been said that a man will seek a wife that reminds him of his mother, and my dad had not one, but two excellent examples to choose from. It was Earlene who influenced him in a loving and tender way that was exceptionally rare for a sister, and my dad loved her for that. It didn't end with her siblings, however, for Earlene was married to a righteous man for 76 years before she passed and they had four children, who are some of the most loving people I know. I got to visit with the three boys and they talked about how their Mom would invite the "unlovable" from the churches that they worshiped with through the years. 

One was a special needs young lady whom Earlene would insist they pick up and take to church with the family. It embarrassed the boys at the time, but that was not Earlene's concern. Later, she would regularly invite two of the ladies from church for lunch on Sundays, only to have them whine and complain and rarely, if at all, show any appreciation. The kids would ask why she would do that. Why would their mom invite these people who seemed to be devoid of any socially redeeming qualities? Her answer was that someone needed to do it. Someone needed to show these people love and if it wasn't them, who would do it? 

Earlene loved people deeply, from the heart! She kept a journal and a prayer list so that she could remember all of the people she wanted to pray for. I have no idea how many prayers this righteous woman prayed on my behalf, but I know she did, for I was around her too long for her not to realize that I needed those prayers and if she did not do it, who would?

One last thing about her influence in my life: If it is true that a man will pick a wife who has the qualities that he loved in his mother, then I have Earlene in part to thank for the beautiful, loving woman that my dad married. What's more, I know that I picked a woman with the wonderful qualities that my mother exemplified, so in a very real way I have my Aunt Earlene to thank for the happy, happy life I have enjoyed.

And here is the main point I want to leave with you today: My Aunt would have been too humble to accept the fact that she contributed so greatly to the quality of the life of her nephew, but I have no doubt that I have not overstated the extent to which she did. Because my Aunt Earlene loved people deeply, from the heart, she has contributed far more good to this world than she could have ever imagined. Or maybe she could have, for she knew that when we do our small part for God, that part becomes like the mustard seed which just seems to grow and grow.

You and I could have such an effect, too, if we would simply obey God and love one another deeply, from the heart!