God's Sovereignty and My Mom

Last night we began a new series for our Ladies School of the Word at church. I had the privilege of being able to honor my mom during the meeting. Here is what I was able to share. I could hardly keep back the tears (at moments I couldn't!) as I shared this. God's grace truly is amazing!

What an honor and privilege it is for me to be able to honor my Mom tonight! She is one of the people I know the best and my admiration and respect continue to grow for her as I get to know her better and better. She is not only my mom, but she is also one of my best friends.

Throughout my mom’s journey I have been able to watch her accept the sovereignty of God’s hand on her life – even in the most difficult of times. She has done so in a way that I believe has brought God glory and she has readily recognized God’s grace, mercy, and faithfulness to her through each season she has walked through. You see, my mom raised my two sisters and myself almost entirely on her own. She recovered from malignant bone cancer when I was four years old, and probably one of the most difficult trials she has walked through was leaving her family, friends, and home of 50 years to move me here and to live closer to my sister Tish. Though she has been through even more trials than these, I can probably count on one hand how many times I have heard her complain. I’m sure she has had to work through many heart issues, but as far as hearing her grumble against our Lord outwardly I’ve never heard her do that. That shows me that although she may not understand what is happening or why God has chosen this path for her, that she knows He knows what is best for her and desires to do her good and not harm all the days of her life.

So many times I think about how God is being glorified through her life. In the past ten years since my mom and I relocated and started coming to Metro, I have seen my mom thrive. I have seen her work through moving here and not knowing anyone – like I said she literally started over after 50 years of living in a small town. And although she was very sad at times, she didn’t wallow in self-pity or become bitter, but she jumped in and became involved with the church and with home group. She has used her singleness, and now her empty nest =) as a way to serve, and serve and serve those around her. Her home is always open and she loves being able to have the flexibility to have her home group ladies over once a month, or to house someone coming in from out of town, or if anyone just needs to get away for a couple of days for a personal retreat she will give up her home so that others have an opportunity to spend some quiet time with the Lord. She is always looking for someone she can help or just bring a little more happiness into their life…like finding shower gifts for young couples or new babies, or shopping for one of my friends babies since his grandparents live out of town, or taking Ruby to the mall (hmmm…I’m seeing a shopping theme here!), or making meals for someone, or babysitting just about anytime she is asked by my sister, my friends or me!

And speaking of babysitting, that is another area I have been able to see my mom trust in the sovereignty of God in her life. My mom did not have the teaching we are able to benefit from on raising our children. When we moved here I was 16 and though my mom could have continued raising me the way she had been, she embraced the teaching and desired to learn and grow. There were times where I believe she would say she would regret some of things she did while raising us, but at the time she was doing the very best she knew how too. Still, even though I was a teenager, she began reading books like Shepherding a Child’s Heart and going to parenting seminars. Because God’s sovereignty in bringing us here, my mom has been able to humbly grow and learn about parenting. She has seen the resources that God has made available to her through messages and friends and reading and she has taken full advantage of them. And because she has chosen to embrace change and the life the Lord has blessed her with – even with all the trials along the way, she is now leaving my children a legacy that will point them towards our Savior. She is someone I can learn from and ask questions of as I raise my two little girls and I know she is going to bring observations up to Steve and I so that we can grow in our parenting and in training our little ones.

She is not a sixty year old woman who thinks about slowing down (trust me, she does not mind me telling you her age – she is quite proud of the years she has been alive!). She is a sixty year old woman who is making the most of her days. I am inspired to see how she has embraced growing in godliness. I am amazed at how someone, who could just say they are “too set in their ways to change” is pursuing others for input on how she can grow and change so that she can better glorify our Savior. She also is a studier of God’s Word and of different books and messages. I love when I go into her home and she has her Bible open by her chair, or when Reagan comes back from her house and tells me stories that my mom has read to her about our Savior. She many not walk around everyday saying “I trust God’s sovereignty for my life”, but her joy and her attitude on a daily basis (and yes, I talk to her just about everyday!) shouts out that she believes the Lord is lovingly caring for her and leading her in the direction He has set before her. There is a quote by Jim Elliot in which he says “Wherever you are - be all there”. Whether my mom is at work, at home, on vacation, at church, serving at a dinner, babysitting – wherever she is definitely all there. She loves the Lord and she loves life. How much she loves the Lord and loves life is evidence to me that she believes that through each season the Lord is with her and will see her through until she meets with Him in glory!