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Daisy didn't die on Saturday;
Daisy died a long time ago.
For years, like Paul,
Daisy lived no longer,
So Christ lived big in her.
That is why we were drawn to her.
That is why we loved her so.
She helped us see better
When the path seemed dark.
She helped us feel warm
When the word seemed cold.
She was for us a torch
Burning brightly,
Sustained and held high
In God's Mighty Hand.
She was for us a torch, indeed,
Soaked in the Oil of God's Spirit
Ablaze with the Fire of the Holy One.
But she was human like us, you see,
So her flesh was, at last, consumed,
And Daisy died
As all of us must one day.
But while we live,
Let us also die as Daisy did
And be torches held high,
Giving light and giving warmth.
Daisy has not passed a torch on
To you and me;
Daisy had no torch to pass!
Does that surprise you?
No, Daisy had no torch for us to grasp.
Daisy was herself A Torch Held High!
Do you still not understand?
We too are torches
Meant to burn brightly
In the night, in the cold.
That is our destiny,
Our dream, our delight.
But how, I asked, can I bring
Warmth and light as Daisy did?
I did not understand.
So I asked,
"Daisy, what is it about you?
I too desire to obey our Lord's command,
But I feel useless, helpless, insignificant!
I too aspire to bring healing, hope, and life,
But I feel inadequate, afraid, unsure."
And she replied, "Go and do likewise!"
That was all. And she walked away.
What did she mean?
Surely she would show me
What, and when, and where, and how?
Surely she would give me five steps to follow,
Ten principles to use,
One key that would unlock it all!
So I mused and watched and realized;
Daisy was human like us all,
But one thing was different:
Daisy had died a long time ago.
Her life was her Lord's;
Her light, not her own.
Yes, Daisy had died a long time ago,
And she was a torch soaked in the Oil,
Ablaze with the Fire, held high
By God's Mighty Hand.
And that is what drew us.
But we did not understand
Why she would not tell us what to do.
She would only say,
"Pray. Listen and pray."
She knew there was no rigid pattern,
No religious rule worthwhile.
She talked to God
And listened for His wisdom,
Then admonished us to do the same.
That is what she meant when she said to me,
"Go and do likewise."
So Daisy has not passed a torch to you, to me.
Daisy was herself a torch, you see.
Not a small torch,
Not a flickering torch
As we often seem to be!
What made her light intense?
What made her warmth contagious?
I have thought. I have prayed.
And like painting on a barren canvas,
Her portrait appears
In bold splashes and gentle strokes
Of Compassion
Of Commitment
Of Courage.
COMPASSION constrained her.
COMMITMENT sustained her.
And Courage compelled her never to quit.
Yes, Compassion constrained her
To meet human need.
But Daisy was smart,
Smart enough to know
That needs always exceeded her capacity;
Smart enough to lean completely on God
Who is always bigger than human need.
So she became a torch of light and warmth
For you, for me, for millions.
Yes, Commitment sustained her
In difficulty, in sorrow, in pain.
Daisy was smart,
Smart enough to do what she had to do,
Not what she wanted to do;
Smart enough to do what compassion required,
Not what comfort and convenience craved.
It was not easy. It was not glamorous;
Commitment never is.
Yes, Courage compelled her
In spite of biased and unlettered resistance.
Daisy was smart,
Smart enough to believe
That God Who had called her
Was big enough to cause the seed to grow.
Yes, we were inspired by her courage.
But did we realize it was born of compassion?
And did we understand
The cost of her commitment?
Courage motivated by compassion
And sustained by commitment
Confronts all resistance,
And with Godly wisdom
Accomplished Her mission.
(Well done, Daisy!
Thou good and faithful servant.
Enter into the rest of the Lord.)
And that is what we saw.
That is what we felt.
That is what drew us.
There will never be another Daisy.
And there will never be another You.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Sue Hyatt
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