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Below are the tributes to be offered today at Artie Smith's memorial service by our two children in remembrance of her. Today she is at home in Heaven awaiting the rest of us to arrive and be together again for eternity...all because of JESUS!
Words of tribute from our daughter, Rebekah Lemming Shaffer:
Just two short days into my life tragedy struck and that moment that everyone prays they never face became reality for my parents and my grandmother. My grandfather, only 44, was taken from us without warning. A morning kiss goodbye for work became the last. And the day you celebrate the homecoming of a new baby became the home-going of my grandfather.
And what do I remember about that day? I don’t remember because I was too little to understand for a very long time. So while my parents and my Grandmama were grieving I was growing. While they remember the tragedy I can only remember love. Gifted into this beautiful family, my Grandmama continued to live her life without the love of her life. The timing of this tragedy caused a unique bond to form between me and her. In a time of loss there was new life and new hope.
My memories are only filled with joy and love, with a
grandmother who was always smiling. What
a strong faith and hope in Christ she must have had to live her life in joy
despite her pain.
Though there are countless beautiful things I could say
about Grandmama, the one that keeps playing over and over in my mind is her servant’s
heart. She was a faithful servant of her
Savior. I watched her love her neighbor
as herself, give of herself when she didn’t have it, and love her family
fully.
There wasn’t a greater moment in my childhood than to spend
with her. The precious things she taught
me play over in my mind every day.
Wisdom she shared with me that seemed like playing as a child has now
become files saved in my heart to use when faced with difficult trials.
Today is not final, though it may feel that way. Recently my
Bible study has been studying Revelation and prophecy. In this study we laid
out all future events on a timeline.
When you look at that timeline and point to where we are today it seems
very very small when compared to God’s plan for the future. And what we realize is that though this time
of earthly separation seems long to us, it is really only a short time compared
to the eternity we will spend reunited. Instead
of focusing on her absence here, we can think on the reunion she had with her
beloved who she’s waited to be with for 36 years. Imagine that moment when she
joined her loved ones who went before her.
Imagine the radiant joy she felt as she opened her eyes in the presence
of her Savior.
It’s easy to think of words to describe my grandmother:
gentle, kind, caring, godly, humble, sacrificial, modest, unpretentious,
faithful, virtuous, and the list could go on. But what I can’t think of is
anything negative. Not one thing. This is remarkable to me. I remember no fault
in her. No anger. No deception. No brooding. She was so godly in my eyes. I believe
that no one is perfect, but she came as close to that mark as anyone I’ve
known.
The two things that I admired the most about my grandmother
were her rock-solid faith in Jesus Christ and her simplicity. In life,
suffering is often the invitation to grow deep roots into our faith. For many
it’s a time to abandon their faith, but for others (like Grandmama) it is an
opportunity to lean in to it. It’s an invitation to trust God more. When my
grandmother lost her husband, she chose to lean in. She chose to trust. I
believe this was the primary occasion from which my grandmother’s faith in
Christ became rock-solid.
And hear me as I say this: This is a treasure to me. My
grandmother didn’t have wealth. She didn’t have much to leave behind. But to me
she has left all the treasures of the world, namely, her faith. Her example.
Her testimony. This is the inheritance I have received from the godliest woman
I’ve known.
I also loved her simplicity. I used to love going to her
small Georgia house in the country. It was like another world to me: tall trees
and pine needles covering the ground and a long dirt road that led to a modest,
2-bedroom home. I have so many endearing memories there, memories of laughter
and play and exploration. It was so simple and modest. Her life was this way
too. Now, as an adult, I look back to those days, longing for that simplicity.
I wish I could spend just one more day there, with her.
This is a day of sorrow, but also a day of rejoicing. It’s
strange to write about her in the past tense. But truthfully, this is contrary
to what we believe. We should speak of her in the present, because she is
alive—alive in Christ. She is well—and so much more. She is with Christ. She is
living and now waiting. She waits for that day (as we all do) when Jesus will
finally and completely rescue and renew all that is lost and broken and reunite
body and soul. For this day we long and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
I love you, Grandmama.
