In Loving Memory of Marie Lightsey

“Be the things you loved most about the people who are gone.” - Unknown

These pieces were created in loving memory of Marie Lightsey.

(Click image to purchase.)

Be the grateful leopard. – Luke 17:12
As a children’s pastor for many years, Marie was known for creating these wild, funny yet profound skits for chapel services, retreats, or special programs. Most of the time, they involved “child actors” recruited by Marie and their collaborative classroom teachers, and the students would then invite their parents, grandparents, or anyone else who was willing to attend. One of those skits was designed to tell the story of “The Ten Lepers” (Luke 17) about how Jesus healed ten men with leprosy but then only one returned to thank Him. Well, Marie took some “creative license” with Jesus‘s words, and the result was the story of “The Ten Leopards” complete with young students in costume and stage makeup. The significance of that story is that the one grateful leopard who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan, so he was, unfortunately, double-marginalized. Jesus was especially empathetic to those who were living life on the edge or on the margins— the hurt, the sick, the poor, the wounded, the ignored, the labeled, the misunderstood. Marie loved everybody, but she was especially empathetic to those particular people because she had been all of those things at various times during her life. And that depth of suffering also created a very deep well of gratitude (like the grateful leper) and a heightened sensitivity to the suffering of others. Be the grateful leopard and do it for Jesus and Marie.

(Click image to purchase.)

Just keep showing up. – Galatians 6:9
Marie was present in others’ pain even when she was experiencing tremendous hardship herself. She used to put a smile on her face and say, “Fake it ‘til you make it!” Faking it isn’t really a healthy strategy, but “just showing up” actually is healthy since it involves trusting God by handing our own heartache over to Him and then loving others as He has loved us. Love people and love God! That was “who she was and what she did” for us every single day!

(Click image to purchase.)

Do it scared. – I John 4:18

Marie was a risk taker, not because she was reckless, but because she loved so deeply. Loving people – “really” loving them – is very messy work, and it takes courage, creativity, and compassion. Marie wasn’t afraid to leave her comfort zone to help people, even if it meant she was criticized for being “too much”. Because Marie was “Unapologetically Me” long before Angel Reese was born (Go Lady Tigers!), and she would have absolutely loved Angel Reese! She also would have delighted in Angel’s response to the judgers, the haters and the ignorantly misinformed. But Marie did feel hurt by those people sometimes (you know—“the labelers”), and sometimes their words made her feel like she was stupid or that she was a loser (she was neither of those things). Marie actually was quite adept at forgiving people– firstly, because it’s the right thing to do and secondly, because as a Christian she knew forgiveness was essential for the forgiver, the forgivee, and for her relationship with God to be unhindered. She knew all too well that “hurt people, hurt people”. And in spite of all that, and in the midst of her own personal pain, she set an example of forgiveness and unconditional love for all of us to follow.

(Click image to purchase.)

Pick the hill you’re gonna die on. – Exodus 14:14
Many of us still hear her voice in our heads when we are about to cross a boundary, get out of our lane, or maybe just get involved when the timing isn’t quite right. It’s the Serenity Prayer for a Southern Magnolia who has jumped in one too many times with the best of intentions only to be criticized, misunderstood, or disrespected. So, “pick the hill…” was Marie’s way of sharing her personal experience and warning us that we can’t fix every problem or right every wrong–but God knows she usually tried! And sometimes, many times, it worked, and then it was magic, and it WAS a hill worth dying on! And she went there for us because she believed we were worth it and so did Jesus.

(Click image to purchase.)

Go about doing good. – Acts 10:38
Well, the long-awaited Messiah had finally arrived, and He was supposed to overthrow the Roman government, right? And rescue and vindicate all of his children! But that wasn’t the plan so, basically, “He went about doing good!” And that’s what Marie spent most of her time doing—Good! And it didn’t matter if it was the Governor, the server in a restaurant, an NFL legend, or a child with a splinter in his finger! Because they were all the same to Marie. Because they are all the same to Jesus, and so are we.