My Naomi

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16)

Who has made the most impact on your life spiritually? Is there any person whose walk with God demonstrated such excellence that you wanted to emulate them in every way?

I had a person like that in my life, Glenda Ray. This week we celebrated Glenda’s life after this amazing woman of God lost a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

During her eulogy, the main word used to describe her life was “uncompromising.” There was a line in her life she did not cross. To maintain that level of obedience, Glenda spent many hours in Bible study and Scripture memorization. The pastor providing the eulogy said he thought Glenda knew more Scripture than he did. She taught Bible study. She was wise, and counseled many. She was a leader in her church.

And Glenda was my mentor.

I was a wayward, fatherless little girl, lost in a life of dysfunction, with a mentally ill mother at home, but God had mercy on me and lifted me out of the pit I was in. In my freshman high school English class, Glenda’s daughter, Leslie Ray, asked me if I wanted to accept Christ. I prayed the prayer to ask Jesus into my life, then Leslie invited me to church with her family. I loved church, and from that point on, I spent every Sunday afternoon with the Ray family so I could attend church in the morning and at night. I joined the choir and participated in youth activities. My life finally had meaning and hope.

In between the services, many Sunday’s Leslie would have plans, so I would sit at Glenda’s feet asking hundreds of questions about God. I also studied her because I did not understand what a “normal” mom looked like. She was my Naomi. I wanted to go where she went. I wanted her people to be my people and her God to be my God.

I remember one of Glenda’s teachings on joy. She quoted Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” She told me Paul thought being joyful was so important, he emphasized it by saying it twice. I never forgot that and try to press into joy in my life during good times and bad.

I didn’t have a concept of the sacrifice the Ray family made by having an extra child at their house until many years later. After I rededicated my life to Christ, I realized that it was the Sunday seeds Glenda planted in my life that were now blooming into a thriving plant. I wanted to thank her for the countless hours she spent with me, but because of a busy work and mom schedule, I never got around to it.

One day I was picking up some Subway sandwiches for my kids. I walked into the restaurant, and there she was, Glenda Ray, sitting at a table eating a sandwich! God knew my heart, got tired of my procrastinating, and plopped her right in front of me, so I could thank her.

I maintained contact after that, and when we would get together, the time was rich. Glenda traveled in deep spiritual waters, and I loved going there with her.

My life is not the only one Glenda touched. The memorial service was filled with people who came to honor her. Because she was a women’s Bible study teacher, many were transformed people today because of the truths she shared with them.

They wanted to go where she went. They wanted her God to be their God.

Glenda Ray’s life was a life lived in full obedience to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit’s presence in her life was evident by the joy and peace she reflected throughout her days on this earth. She lived to a standard that I can only pray to achieve. And today, she sits in the presence of her Lord she loved so much, who I’m sure is saying:

Well done good and faithful servant. I will say it again: Well done!