http://www.angelfire.commi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
http://www.angelfire.commi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
December 1, 1923- January 6, 2001
None of us can forget the great warriors of faith who moved mountains and overwhelmed the enemies. Time does not allow me to share of Abraham and Moses and the Prophets. Many suffered the consequences of their choices to serve the Creator rather than the created. Others endured hardship and pain and sorrow. What caused them to endure? What made them continue on in the face of countless foes and overwhelming odds? Faith. They lived their lives by faith. Faith in the promise of Jesus Christ. Faith, knowing that God will never leave nor forsake those who call on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of there own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were looking for a better country- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
And today, our dear friend, mother and grandmother lies, not in this earthen vessel but is now walking the streets of her heavenly city. Today, our loved one does not concern herself with the bills that are due here but is now tending to the business of the King in that heavenly palace of which she has her own room especially built for her. Today, she does not live here, with the physical pains and problems of an aging body but now walks without a limp, lifts her arms in holy praise and sings of her Redeemer with unabated breath.
Yes, we will miss Gladys. We will miss a very prim and proper lady. We will miss her giddiness as she and Alice leave church excited about watching Emeril Legasse and the Food Channel. We will miss her committed lifestyle- one that honored Jesus Christ. We will miss her- because there was only one Gladys Backa.
Gladys life was no secret. Those who knew her knew of her faith in Jesus Christ. Her faith was not one tamed by the prosperity of easy times but was a faith tried and tempered by the difficulties of life. She brought honor to the Kingdom because she never dishonored God by setting blame on Him for the rough roads. Her faith and prayers influenced the lives of her children and grandchildren. And brought joy to the church. Who she was and whom she loved was never a secret.
Gladys cooking was a secret. How she cooked and created her foods has gone on with her. We will never know what made her stews so tasty or those Rice Krispie Treats so moist. Perhaps the missing ingredient that we need to find would be love. Love for everyone- even our enemies. Of which, it seems, Gladys didn’t have any. Perhaps, she gave them Rice Krispie treats.
And so, today, we honor Gladys Backa. A mother and grandmother. A friend and sister in Christ. But more importantly, a child of the King. And it is today, that she is in the King’s presence. There to be forever.
To Gladys, He was the God on the mountain and down in the valley... always.
