Eulogy For Helen Walker

Helen Walker 4/8/06

God creates some people who are to become very important in the world, and God creates some people who to be very special in the world. Now some would say it is better to be important than to be special, but I think when we come to the end of our days, we’re not looking back to see how important we were, but rather were we special in the lives of others.

When death is staring at us in the face, we do not usually take great pride in our degree from Harvard or Yale or in our position as executive vice president, nearly as much as we do from a child saying I love so much because of all that you did for me and I’m going to miss you. Helen Walker was not created to be somebody important whose name would cover the country and the globe at large, but I cannot think of anyone else who has been more special in the way that she has touched the lives of others.

We read of the Proverbs 31 woman in the Scripture reading. I have never chosen that passage of Scripture for a funeral, but as I read it the other day, I thought here is a description of Helen’s life right here in the bible. A committed, hardworking, industrious, strategic thinking woman who put the needs of her family and others ahead of her own.

One of the things that made Helen incredibly special was the enormous amount of support and encouragement that she gave to those around her. She stood as a magnificent oak tree in full bloom with its spreading branches, and many who were in distress from the storms of life found support under the shelter of her mighty outspread branches. There was a sense of safety and stability as you clung close to the trunk of this magnificent tree. She was an incredible special woman.

But nothing that happened to Helen surprised God because God was active in Helen, long before Helen became active in God. For the Scripture tells us in Psalm 139:13-16

[13] For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, [16] your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God knew that Helen was going to be special from the moment she entered the world on September 12, 1943 because He intended for her to be special. But God also knew that he had ordained a specific number of days for her to live, and that he fully expected her to return to Him.

We on the otherhand, simply take it for granted way to often that we will always have each other around, and we fail to appreciate the incredible special people that God places in our lives. We even make the mistake of thinking that we ourselves have an indefinite number of days ahead of us that we can control and determine, but I can tell you with certainty, unless Jesus comes first, we shall all surely die and in times and methods not of our own choosing.

Helen was blessed, because she recognized that death is a certain reality for all of us and it can hit us at any moment. That’s why she tried to reach so many of you with the gospel of Jesus Christ. She wanted to see her family get saved. The Scriptures tell us that there is a way that seems right to a person, but at the end of it is death. If we are all living in order that we might some day die, then we should do a reality check to find out if we’re going to be prepared when we get to our final destination.

If we’re living simply for status, money, degrees or fame, keep in mind none of these things go out with us when we leave this world. They may make you important, but they won’t make special. Our money will be left in the bank, our degrees will hang on a wall, our fame will be forgotten, and our status will not impress Jesus who is the ultimate Judge of everything.

Let’s take a moment and look back over the life of Helen Walker to see how to avoid living in vain. I want you to see the smile that she so often greeted you with and the twinkle she carried in her eye and go back with me in time and see a happy little black girl who liked to have fun.