A Charge to All Who Loved Mary

There is a void in the Kingdom with the loss of Mary Rhoades. There is one less laborer for the harvest.

I was deeply impressed with this thought as I spent an evening reflecting on her life, praying for clarity, and seeking answers on what I really believe. Afterwards I concluded that the Bible is indeed true, and I need to spend the rest of my life living out of this truth.

And then I asked for Mary's harvest. I asked God to give me the harvest she would have reaped had she lived long enough to see the fullness of her work come to maturity. Not that I could speak to all the teen moms she knew or tell all the same people she knows that they are beautiful and that I love them, but I can live my life with the same magnitude of impact. I want MY life to have the impact she has had, and I want to continue her legacy of love.

When Elijah knew he was going to ascend to Heaven he already had his successor, Elisha, in place to carry on his work. Elisha did not want to leave Elijah even though he was aware that it was Elijah's time to go.

In 2 Kings 2 it continues:

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.”

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.

¹³ He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

¹⁵ The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

The cloak that fell from the sky was Elijah's mantle. A mantle is a symbol of the call and the anointing of the prophet. So with Elijah gone, Elisha received a double portion of his anointing to continue Elijah's call through him. He carried on the mission with double the power. I have heard it said that double the miracles are recorded for EliSha as EliJA.

There is work to be done for the Kingdom, people. Mary is gone and we all miss her. We mourn at the loss. We feel like the world is not as bright and happy without her. We feel it is not as kind or safe of a place to live with her gone. But there is work to be done. We are still here and it US now who must keep on with the legacy that Mary left behind.

What will your legacy be? Start living it now.

Clarity Revealed in the Life of Mary Rhoades

I had a tremendous revelation about the value of my life last night. It came about after I found out that Mary Rhoades had died.

I got to know her when she was the youth ministry assistant at First Baptist Church. She did not have a position that many would consider important, and it was certainly not high paying. She made copies, put together fliers, helped register kids for camp, answered the phone. But her true position was one of listening ear, comforter, counselor- the one who loved everyone unconditionally. She knew who the depressed kids were, the cutters, the ones fighting with their parents. She'd invite them out for coffee or lunch. She paid for them. She paid for me when I was working as a youth intern.

She had pictures of all the kids (and bigger kids like me) she knew on a bulletin board. I gave her one of my cherished photos of me riding an elephant in Sri Lanka. I didn't give out those pictures because I didn't have many, but I gave one to Mary for her board because it made me feel proud. I knew she would see me on that elephant and believe in me. She believed in the adventure I was on with God.

Mary struggled with ongoing health problems, but she never allowed them to keep her from loving. She is the one person I know who would call you randomly and say "I LOVE YOU!" I started telling more people I love them because of her. She did not hold back her love. When she saw you coming she'd say "Hello beautiful!" with such joy and gladness that you truly believed you were beautiful.

After she stopped her work with the youth ministry she began to work with unwed teen moms at the high school. She was passionate about her work with these teens and she spent her own money throwing them baby showers.

Mary died young, but she invested every moment of her short lifetime for the Kingdom.

Yesterday as I reflected on her life I had the revelation that the Bible really is true. I've often doubted if I have pursued the right choices as I have sought to live out the verse "Seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well." I honestly doubted if my investment in missions, in orphanages, in chickens for poor people in the developing world even, might not have been better spent on paying off my student loans. I have not seen immediate return on these investments and I have felt like in seeking first the Kingdom I have neglected my career and have looked foolish in the eyes of the world.

But when I thought about Mary- faithful, loving Mary- before the throne of Jesus, receiving her reward, her "Well done, my good and faithful servant!", hearing all the stories of the lives she has touched... I affirmed anew my dedication to seek first the Kingdom. How fast, or even if I ever, pay off the student loans does not matter.

I remembered Matthew 6:

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

How hard it is to keep this eternal, Kingdom perspective when the world is constantly telling us we need to be worried about our mortgage, our car payment, our student loans, saving for our kids' college education, etc. etc. etc....

But truly this lifetime is short and we are not guaranteed another day. I am reminded of the quote from Gladiator, "What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Yes friends, it may be hard to realize when you have diapers to change, dishes to wash, bills to pay, email to check, reports and deadlines and dinner to make... but one day it will all end. We don't know when that day will come.

So this new year, rather than resolving to lose weight or wash the car more often, why not resolve to be the kind of person that will receive their reward from Jesus. Resolve to love people with the love that only comes from Father God. Resolve to honor people, especially the least of these. Resolve to STORE UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN.

Thank you Mary, for your life. Thank you for revealing to me the truth of the Scripture, and ultimately for reminding me of the real meaning and purpose for my life. Please enjoy Heaven for me, and party it up with all those angels before the throne of Jesus!