Geraldine Tucker

The following is a tribute to one of the greatest women I have ever known - my mamaw, Geraldine Tucker.

She went home to be with the Lord on Sunday evening, April 3, 2011. She was 83 years old. But that is not why she was great.

The world will not do much more than blink with her passing. The world will stop spinning for some of us for a time, but planet earth will continue moving around us at lightning speeds, and eventually we will go back to our lives with only memories left. She gave us wonderful memories. But those are not why she was great.

She married Papaw in 1943, and a day or two later, he left with his Army unit for training, and for eventual deployment for Normandy. By the time he had returned, she had purchased for them a house and 50 acres. They built a life together, and raised a large family. They worked so very hard, but her hard work is not why she was great.

She fulfilled God's purpose for her here on Earth. He tasked her with creating and raising a family in the Lord, along with Papaw, who was a pastor, and she did just that. That is why she was great. How do I know this was her task? Because I see what God has done through her. I knew how proud she was of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And I know that one of the things that she was most proud of was how God has worked in the lives of so many of her family. There are three of us kids and grandkids who have been called by God to serve Him with our entire lives. There are at least six or more kids and grandkids who serve God with all that they are as deacons and faithful servants. And there are so many others - family and not - who love Jesus, almost directly because of Mamaw's influence. She was great because she left a legacy.

That inspires me. I also long to leave a legacy. How could I do that? What trick is there for that? Mamaw's life offers an example or two.

Prayer.
How else do we fall in love with our Maker? How else do we lean on His help? Who else controls all things? Prayer is more discussed than done. Lord, teach me to step off the bullet train of life and pray. To "be still, and know that [you are] God." Mamaw did this better than anyone I know. I, too, will learn from you, Mamaw, as I pray for those of us who will continue on down here without your prayers.

Humility.
How important am I really? How much newspaper or internet space will be dedicated to a simple woman who lived a simple life in rural Mississippi? Does it matter if it is not as much space for Mamaw as I think it should be? Doesn't her influence on me and countless others mean that she made a huge difference, no matter whether anyone hears about it or not? Mamaw understood better than so many others that she was nothing special, but that Jesus was!

Unshakeable faith.
Mamaw and Papaw never had much money. But that didn't matter. They moved around a lot as Papaw would preach at various churches in central Mississippi. (I was honored to be able to open the Word from the same pulpit he had preached from years earlier, from notes that were written with his hand.) What mattered most in the times of change or times of need? Jesus. What did Mamaw need more than any other thing in her life? Jesus. What consumed her devotion more than even her precious family? Jesus. In good times and bad, who did she depend upon completely? Jesus. What message did she insist I pass on to the entire family last Christmas? To be right with Jesus. Are we seeing a pattern here?

So I leave you with a humble, prayerful woman of faith's simple message to you, no matter if you knew her or not. It is found in 2 Corinthians 5:20. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

She would want you to know that about her. That she was God's ambassador to you. So come back to God. The parable of the prodigal son teaches that Jesus is just waiting to welcome you back home with open arms. Come back. Leave your selfishness and come back home.

She is at home now. And her home was not the house that she has been physically unable to live in recently anyway. She belonged to the kingdom of God, as a child of the King. And she wants you to come to join her there one day. Come back to God. Come back home.

Thank you, Mamaw. I love you.