My mother-in-law Lois fell sleep on the afternoon before her ninety-third birthday, quietly passing from this earth into the presence of Jesus Christ her Savior. Lois died as she had lived, leaving a legacy of strength and peace grounded by her faith in God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 NIV

The adjustments came quietly as Lois’s life slowed down and her abilities declined. She did not object when others drove, cooked, and did household chores for her. No agitation, hallucinations, or delirium affected the years of dementia. Decreased verbal expression accompanied the cognitive changes. The stories Lois used to tell decreased to mere sentences. Then a few words replaced the sentences. In her last months, single words expressed entire thoughts. Physical decline progressed slowly until Lois’s final year of life when she fell and required more help. But Lois always maintained a calm, peaceful presence.

The pastor, who had visited Lois over the past year, gave a short message at her memorial service. He focused on Lois’s strength, emphasizing that it was not worldly strength, but strength expressed in love, humility, and faith in God. Those of us who knew my mother-in-law knew that she was not a weight-lifting, aerobic-training, endurance-proving athlete. Instead, Lois exhibited inner strength, a quiet trust in God that continued throughout the challenges of her life.

One of Lois’s caregivers presented another eulogy. She spoke lovingly about Lois, sharing how the caregivers had helped Lois adjust from cane to walker to wheelchair and, finally, into a hospital bed.

Grandchildren, neighbors, caregivers, and church friends had only known Lois as an elderly woman. As a ninety-two-year-old woman, parts of Lois’s story sounded far removed from the current century. But Lois’s daughter spoke of Lois’s adventures, starting when she left her small Wisconsin town for nursing school in Chicago. Lois pulled two friends into her career plans, leading them across the country for nursing jobs, first to California and then into the Air Force Nurse Corps. Lois met her husband Bob while they were assigned to Ellington Air Force Base in Texas. After completing her next Air Force assignment to Sembach Air Base in Germany, Lois and Bob left the Air Force, married, and returned to Chicago. Following a similar path as Lois and her friends, Bob and Lois later moved from Chicago to southern California. The uplifting eulogy brought surprise and smiles into the sorrow of the memorial.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15

With these words, God chastised the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah. The Israelites refused the repentance and rest God offered, but Lois never did. Instead she lived it out, embodying a lifestyle of faith, peace, and rest. Lois left a legacy of spiritual strength, exemplified by her abiding faith in God.