I met Becky when I began working at St. John Lutheran Church as a young adult. I’d moved there from across the country and didn’t know anyone nearby. Becky was the first person (other than the pastor) who made me feel welcome. She took time to fill me in on congregational dynamics, expectations and history, and would come by my office regularly just to check in, ask how things were going, and talk.

I quickly came to look forward to her visits and cherished her friendship. I took time to listen to her stories and discovered she was the kind of person I hoped to be one day. Becky was a PK, had adopted two of her five beautiful children, put relationships first, and treated everyone with respect. When someone irritated Becky, she would pause and then say, “They are a child of God, too” as if to remind herself to treat them with love and patience. She almost never missed a Sunday and usually sat with her husband in the front pew. 

I remember sitting a few rows behind them one week. I was surprised to see Becky whispering to her husband throughout worship. At first, I thought this was distracting and possibly disrespectful, but I knew how seriously Becky took her faith and how actively she lived it, so I began to see things another way. I began to marvel at how comfortable and at home Becky was in worship. Becky was not pretentious or a stickler for rules—she simply lived her life to the fullest and her faith to the best of her ability. Becky saw nothing wrong with sharing a thought about the service, or whatever may have seemed important in that moment, with her husband during worship. I came to see it as a beautiful demonstration of her belief and proclamation that God wouldn’t mind and that God was intimate and loving, rather than judgmental and wrathful.

Today, I have a teenage daughter who benefits from the lessons I learned years ago from Becky. I never told her to sit silently in church, sitting forward with two feet on the ground as a child. She was allowed to learn to worship respectfully yet comfortably, in a way that’s meaningful to her. Occasionally, she comments or asks a question during worship, and is not made to feel wrong for that.  As a result, she feels at home and welcome in worship. To this day, she is excited to attend church and runs joyfully from the car into the sanctuary. People sometimes comment that her joy is contagious and her smile is genuine.

 And, to this day, when someone says or does something to irritate or upset me and I find myself ready to walk away or lash out, I stop, breathe, and think to myself, “They are a child of God, too.”  

Read Mark 2:23-27, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!
Annie

Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202:23-27