A Godly Woman, in memoriam: Eva Warren

Last Monday, a dear figure from my childhood passed away suddenly from stage 4 Breast cancer.  She had quite an impact on all those who knew her, and she not only deserved every last word of praise and admiration that were spoken at her funeral, but she deserved a lot more too.  In a day and an age where we worship celebrities, and those whose personal lives aren’t deserving of emulation or admiration at all, her funeral stands as a stark contrast.  While billions know who Michael Jackson is, he is a man who molested and raped young children; in contrast, at Eva’s funeral, scarcely 10,000 in the world knew her or of her passing, yet the life she lived is far more worthy of being emulated than Michael Jackson or anyone else you will see on hellivision.

Eva Warren was the mother of 6 children, all of whom she raised with Godly, Christian values.   She was the epitome of a Proverbs 31, virtuous woman.  When her first marriage ended, due to her husband’s irreconcilable faults, she patiently endured being a single mother.  She raised her first 3 children.  I remember being raised in the church, and I never saw her feel sorry for herself, or publicly bemoan her situation.  She always appeared to be cheerful, she had a beautiful singing voice, when we sang church hymns, and it seems every single young boy in our church thought of her as a remarkably pretty woman, which she was, both inside and outside.  We didn’t hear cross words from her.  In public, I never saw her angry, I never saw her demean her husband who had left her, and she faithfully took care of her 3 children.

After a span of over a decade, Eva stayed single and celibate, and remarried, a devoted man named Joe Warren.  She went on to have 3 more children.  I attended the marriage ceremony, and while the marriage was in a home, it brought forth children who were given the values that Kings and Queens would do well to learn as Princes and Princesses.

In an age when women are encouraged to go to college, and to get jobs, Eva Warren stands as a beacon of inspiration about what women in America used to be.  She was a marvelous wife, a splendid mother, and a good Christian woman.  There can be no higher compliments than those three.  Her children all praise her, and those who knew her spoke well of her.  She chose what people would say about her at her funeral, with the Godly life she lived.  Over 300 people showed up, to pay tribute to the remarkable life she lived.  You probably didn’t read about it in the media, because our media is focused on unimportant things, and is ceaselessly lying to us and amusing us to death.   To the media, the death of it’s heroes, like Michael Jackson, is big news, we all should know about, but the death of a truly good person is meaningless.  To the media, money and power matter, but a good life lived well is not important.   God disagrees and his verdict will be the final one for all of us.

She shared in one Bible class that most of the time, people told others the good things about themselves at their funerals, when they were not alive to hear it anymore. She asked that people give her a rose today, instead of waiting for her funeral to say nice things about her.  The room laughed, but it is a lesson that many would do well to pay attention to today.  Too often the praise that the Godly get is after they perish.  That said, the praise of God is all that really matters.  The one friend we all need when we die is that of our conscience.  The opinions of millions don’t really matter in the general scheme of things.

The lesson that is indelibly inscribed upon my mind from her life is faith.   She relied upon God when it didn’t make sense to do that, and ultimately, she found the promises that he gives to all who follow Him.  It didn’t make sense to leave a husband who was trying to stop her from attending Bible classes, to become a single mother.  But she did it.  It didn’t make sense to be patient, and not chase a man, while raising 3 young children alone.  But she did it.  It didn’t make sense to re-marry in her late 30’s, early 40’s, and to have 3 more children, when you are in a single income family.  But she did it.  It didn’t make sense to leave a home she had in Vallejo, to sell it, and move to Sacramento to help a church there.  But she did it.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

May her life be remembered, may her memory always be cherished, and may the women of America take note.  It is the path she followed that leads to peace, joy, and happiness in this life and the next. When we go to our graves, all we will leave behind is the love we gave, and if we do not understand the love God has for us, we cannot give any away, for it is impossible to give what one first does not have.  Eva lived a life full of love, and America and the world need more of that.   Love is not a feeling, it is self-denial, it is self-sacrifice, and it is dedication, devotion, and consecration to ideals higher than our own desires or feelings.