Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Jennifer Percell, Volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Missouri

Lucille made tissue paper flowers—the big, bright colorful ones that add a splash of joy to life. She made mobiles with delicate ribbon fish, dresses for orphans, and activity bags for children. She recycled hundreds of pairs of non-slip socks by brushing them carefully to remove the pilling so they could be donated to nursing homes. She was 90 and doing all of these things when I met her. She died just a month before her 106th birthday. That morning Lucille taught some ladies how to make tissue paper flowers, then she set up her first cell phone. She sat down in her chair to take a nap and woke up with Jesus.

Carolyn loved to teach the Bible to children. She was instrumental in starting a camp in her home area and cooked there for many years. When she could no longer cook, she made blankets—hundreds of cozy quilts for children who were attending camp for the first time. She told them that the comforter would remind them they were loved and would help them get through homesickness. After she died at the ripe old age of 100, we found two of her quilts in the supply room at church. They were given to her great-grandchildren, and her comforting love lives on.

Lois was the daughter of an old-time circuit preacher. She was one of a group of Christians who founded the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Texas. She raised three children in the Lord and passed her faith down to her great-grandchildren. Lois was a “Rosie the Riveter” during WWII. She met her much loved sports hero Nolan Ryan at a Texas Rangers game on her hundredth birthday and finally saw her precious Lord at 104 years old.

As I thought about the opportunity to write a story of personal committed faith, dozens, if not hundreds of faithful Christian women I have been blessed to know paraded through my thoughts. Some conquered illness, suffered loss of relationships, the death of loved ones, wavering beliefs, and weakened faith. Many sisters followed our Lord through all the darts life threw at them and gave me precious examples to follow. All of their stories are encouraging and have helped me stay the course when my steps have faltered.

But Lucille, Carolyn, and Lois all stood out in my thoughts. These three lived their faith for 85 to 90 of their over 100 years on this earth. They held on to Christ and His church through major wars, the Great Depression, riots, assassinations, hunger, times of plenty, hard physical work, deep emotional losses, disease, and the loneliness of old age. None of them complained about their circumstances—rather, each gave generously to me from their strong spirits and steady faith.

For Lois’ 100th birthday party, we decorated one section of the church auditorium walls for each decade of her life. As I walked around the display that followed our nation from covered wagons to super jets, and circuit riders to podcasts, I realized that each of those decades was lived one minute at a time. Life is made up of tens of thousands of often tedious minutes that together comprise a life of faith.

The commitment to our faith is to spend each of those moments realizing the priceless statement of our purpose we find in Ephesians: “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 NIV).

Each of these women filled over 30,000 days productively serving their families and their Savior. Somewhere along the way they understood that a Christ-filled life was their hope of glory as we read in Colossians 1:27.

Each of them spoke to me of their dependence on God. They had learned through many hard times that their hope and strength and joy was found in our God. Each of these women were joyful, gentle, and full of love despite so many trials and sorrows. My time with them was clearly filled with the presence of God's Holy Spirit, who lived a century in each of their faithful hearts.

Their personal examples of committed faith were visual aids to strengthen my life in Christ. These servants exemplified the verses I want to leave you with. Over 100 years of dedication was possible because they served a faithful Father.

“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations” (Ps. 100:5).

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

Will you use your years, few or many, in committed service to the King whose faithful daughters will live with Him in glory?

Written by Bailey Vesperman, Creative Director with Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Growing up, my world was black and white. To be a “good” daughter, I did my chores without complaining, ate my vegetables, and didn’t fight with my brother. Breaking any of the family rules meant I was behaving badly and would not get rewards like extra playtime or dessert. I also applied this kind of thinking in my church life. Attending Bible class and sitting still through the sermon were “good” behaviors and were rewarded most often with stickers (the most enticing reward of my childhood).

It’s no wonder that for the longest time, my faith revolved around doing the right things and being a good person. I believed if I followed the rules, I would be deemed good enough and would gain the reward of going to Heaven. I’m sure you can imagine how discouraging this mindset was! Every time I sinned, I felt like I was one step further away from my reward.

Time and time again, the Bible both tells and shows us that humans are incapable of achieving salvation on their own. One of my favorite examples of this is Abraham. In Genesis 15, we see Abraham (who is still Abram at this time) preparing to make a covenant with God. The Lord has just promised that He will give him descendants that outnumber the stars in the sky, and a promised land in which they would live.

So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. (Ge. 15:9-10)

Then, Abram falls asleep, the Lord speaks to him, and he sees a smoking pot and a flaming torch pass through the carcasses.

In the Israelite culture, making a covenant with someone was much more significant than simply saying “I promise.” Two people entering a covenant with each other would cut the animals apart and take turns walking in the blood between the carcasses. This was a symbolic gesture that meant if one person could not uphold their end of the deal, the other person could perform the same act to them (as in, kill them and walk through their blood). While it’s a very violent and bleak thought, it sends the right message. These types of promises were not made lightly.

Yet when God entered the covenant with Abram, we see something a little different. Abram never walks between the carcasses—rather, a torch and a smoking pot pass through. God passes through twice, taking up both sides of the promise. God knew Abram was incapable of living righteously enough to earn the reward of living in the Promised Land. In Genesis 16, we see Abram doubting God’s promise when he chooses to have a son with Hagar. If left to his own devices, Abram would have never been worthy of the reward God had in store for him. Yet God, in His infinite grace, took the burden of punishment upon himself so Abram and his descendants could be blessed.

This same covenant applies to us today. As humans, we are incapable of earning our salvation by being “good,” but God knows this and has taken on the burden of our sins by sacrificing Christ for us. All that He asks of us is to put our faith in Him. Philippians 3:9b (NLT) says, “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” Isn’t that a relieving thought! Because we are sinful by nature, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Yet God wants to reward us with grace and salvation even though we do not deserve it. And the only cost is placing our faith in Him.

As an adult now, I still strive to live righteously for God, but I can rest in the knowledge that my shortcomings do not mean I will not receive my reward someday. Christ has already paid the price for me, and for that reason, I strive to serve Him faithfully. I pray that we may all find rest in His goodness as we move into this new year!