“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
This past Monday, we paid our last respects and said good bye to Miss Ilah Gray, one of the most remarkable women I have ever known. Ilah lived a very rich and fulfilled life of 98 years, and got to experience things most people never do. I will share a few brief stories that I told at her funeral that highlight her unique life.
Ilah was an avid bowler, and quite good at it. We had a bowling league at the church for a couple of years, and you surely wanted Ilah on your team. She bowled a 280 once – at age 90! I would like to see if the Guinness World Record people have an entry for score plus age in bowling. A perfect game is 300. I wonder if anyone has ever topped 370 for score and age combined. One Sunday I was announcing the enrollment for our ministry training Bible Institute. Ilah came up to me after service and put her index finger in my face and said, “Young man, don’t you dare even think about not letting me in that school because you think I am too old.” I had learned my lesson well with Ilah, and I said, “Yes, Ma’am.” We enrolled her in Shepherd’s School at the tender young age of 85. Throughout the course of her studies, she earned every grade. No one gave her any special treatment because of her age. She earned mostly A’s and a few B’s, and they were legitimate. Four years later, I had one of the great honors of my life at her graduation. I spent a few minutes sharing Ilah’s accomplishments to a crowd of several hundred people, and with the backdrop of a standing ovation, handed her a Diploma of Biblical Studies at the age of 89.
One of the qualifications for graduation from Shepherd’s School is to participate in a foreign missions trip during your four year course of studies. At age 88, one month after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Ilah boarded a plane with 10 other members of Crest Bible Church for a trip to Belize. Our ministry in Belize is still ongoing 10 years later, and much greater than any of us could have imagined at the time. Ilah helped get that mission off the ground on our very first trip.
The life of Ilah Gray was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was an encouragement and a role model to me, and to many others in our church. One of her greatest accomplishments was to “throw down the gauntlet” to anyone who thought they couldn’t do something. Jesus told the story in Luke chapter 14 about calling people to God and to his service. He summed up the response and attitude of 99% of this world this way: “And they all with one consent began to make excuse.” (Luke 14:18) Every lost person has his reasons why he can’t trust Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Far too many of God’s people have “with one consent” made excuse after excuse why they can’t serve the Lord like they should. Ilah trumps all those excuses. I am not suggesting people do things that are just physically impossible. But I venture to say that most of what we think is impossible really is not. “With God, all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27) If God can do, “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20), then we should learn to stretch ourselves for him as well. Ilah never allowed a circumstance of life to stand in the way of her love and service for her Lord. As a result, God gave to Miss Ilah Gray an incredible rich and abundant life, filled with joy and faith and experiences that most only dream of.
But more than an abundant life, God gave to her life. Her decision to trust Jesus as her own personal Saviour many years ago provided the strength and the power to live a rich and rewarding life in her 98 short years. Now she is at home with her Lord, where the riches of eternal life are far beyond our finite understanding. Trust Jesus Christ and serve him with all your heart, mind, soul, and might. One day, like Ilah, our reward in heaven awaits.
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