Tribute to my Overseer

In Loving Memory of Dr. Idell Cheever (08/20/1932 – 12/18/2021)

Titus 2:3-4

“The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”

My Overseer

The Lord knows that like so many of her children in the Lord, I miss my Overseer dearly. Even though I write daily, after my Overseer past, it was challenging for me to write about her because it felt that I had no words. Then, one morning a few weeks after her death, I was praying about some challenges and concerns that were upon my heart. It was a repeated prayer; however, on that Saturday morning in January 2022, I smiled because of the Lord’s response. He reminded me of how much value Dr. Cheever added to my life, how her words of wisdom were always on time, and how her words encouraged me and kept me on the right path. As I smiled thinking about her, the tears in my eyes collected because this thought came to me, “she embodied the Titus 2:3-4 woman.”

Her Hugs

I can still remember the very first time that I met her.  My husband and I were newlyweds, and he informed me that we could take a mini-trip to a bed & breakfast or go to see our Overseer in Savannah.  He gave me the option.  Most people would think that I was c-r-a-z-y, but I opted to see my Overseer.  My thoughts were … “if she has the responsibility of watching over my soul and answering to God for my soul (Heb. 13:17), then I want to meet her.”

As soon as I stepped into her home, she hugged me, and hugged me, and hugged me.  Then she asked, “Who is this that I’m loving on like this?”  She was right because I felt like I was soaking up all of the love that was in her.  She had a special anointing upon her life that when she hugged you, you could feel the love of God surrounding you and letting you know that it was going to be okay. 

Her Encouragement

When I was a young mom, I remember singing with the mass choir and bringing my young children to sing in the choir with me instead of leaving them at their seats while the adults sang.  I’m pretty sure that they were rocking in a different direction of the choir, clapping off beat, and singing off key, but she never told me to make them sit down. Instead, she encouraged me and told me that “that” difference was going to make a great difference.  She told me that God was going to bless me because of how I included them in serving God with me.

As the young wife of a young minister and the mother of young children, I could remember feeling like I was “failing” every day, but one day, we were in a service on Whitaker St.  My Overseer began to pray over me and encourage me. I can still recall the words that she spoke that day, and it’s humbling to see how God has brought to pass the words that she spoke. 

Her Words of Wisdom

When my father died, my Overseer gave me godly counsel that helped me to follow peace and remain free.  There were so many who wept with me over the death of my Dad, and there were some who told me that I should sue his wife because of what she did.  That was not my nature.  I cried back then because I did not want my Daddy to die alone.  When I shared the story with my Overseer, she offered one statement that kept me on the path of life.  She informed me that was not who we are or what we are about. 

Those words of wisdom were like ointment to a wounded heart. I didn’t care about the money; I never did.  Her words kept me from falling for the trap of arguing over stuff like many families do when loved ones die. I just wanted my Dad to know that he was loved; my pain was because I wondered if he died alone. I am grateful that the Lord saved my Dad before He left this earth. My Overseer helped me to focus on what really mattered. 

The Prophetic Anointing Upon Her Life

I can remember being in a different service, and my Overseer began to speak over me.  This was very early in my marriage. I had been talking to God about some things … and was thinking that perhaps my timing was off.  Well, God gave me an answer through a word that my Overseer spoke on that day.  She said, “Sister Charisma, more people love you than Brother Beau.”  Then she said, “God sent you here to this city, this state, this family, and this ministry.  God is going to use you in a mighty way.” It took years for me to grasp that message, but I stored the words in my heart.

The tears that flow today are tears of gratitude that God would allow me to meet and learn from someone as gracious as Dr. Cheever. She spoke to a wounded soul and reassured me in the midst of my trials that God had a plan. 

The Lasting Legacy

Overseer was an amazing preacher and teacher of God’s Word. She preached the importance of obedience to God’s Word and lived a life that exemplified that message. When I think of Dr. Cheever, her steadfastness, her love, and her desire to see good for others, I am overjoyed that I was blessed to meet such a woman after God’s own heart.