Good and Faithful Servant

Lisa A Miller Hays (1961 - 2011) - Find A Grave Memorial

Last night I learned of the death of another high school friend. This is not the first friend of my youth I have lost, but this was the first from a tight knit group that I spent many hours with. She was a member of my high school youth group. In high school these people were my very best friends. Almost every activity I participated in included them. Our group had so much fun together that we grew to have about 35 high school kids in a church where the size would have dictated half that many members.

Lisa was one of the more serious in our group. She had a deep founded faith even at a young age. I remember going to the local swimming pool with her and noticing her modesty. In the late 70’s this was not really the norm. She did not seem to worry at all what the world thought of her. This at an age when most of us cared far too deeply what others thought.

After high school Lisa went to a nearby Bible College. It was shortly after this that many of us lost contact with her. In thinking back on this I wonder if the young people of today realize what a wonderful thing social media is when it comes to staying in touch with people. Granted, there are some people you may not want to stay in contact with, but it does make it so much easier to keep up with each others lives.

Last night I had an enjoyable phone conversation with another youth group friend I have not spoken with in over 25 years. It was during that conversation that I learned of Lisa’s death, just over one year ago. I learned she had married and that she had two children. Also, that her husband was a minister at a Church in southeast Kansas. And that she died of lung cancer, though she never smoked a day in her life.

I nosed around the internet a bit and found a memorial page at FindAGrave.com that included her obituary and a picture of her. She was a little older looking, with hair a bit darker and shorter, but undeniably Lisa. I then found a Facebook page for her church. She was in a couple of photos, working with the youth, looking happy and healthy. I read the posts that chronicled her journey. From the surprise diagnosis of cancer, to the final journey to the hospital. This gave me a tiny glimpse into her life, a life spent in service to Him.

As a woman of faith, I have no doubt about where Lisa is now. Home. And I think about what the first words she heard were, and I think for Lisa they must have been…

Well done, good and faithful servant!  ~Matt. 25:21

In Him ~Marla

Please visit Lunch for Lisa for more information.