Today is my mom’s birthday. She would be 73 years old today. She went home to be with her Lord the day after Easter, April 24, 2000. Shortly after my mom passed away, I began reflecting on how thankful I was for her and her influence on me. I came up with several things I was especially thankful and grateful for.
- She was always there for us. I cannot remember a single day that she was not home when I got home from school. I looked forward to telling her all the details of my day and I believed she was genuinely interested. She also made it a priority to attend our games, marching band performances, and concerts. If we were there, she was there.
- "But for the Grace of God, it could be me.” This was something I heard her say many times. She knew what she was capable of; what we are all capable of. Our successes are a result of His blessing and grace, without Him, who knows where we would be. That attitude kept her from being judgmental when others stumbled and fell. I’ve remembered it often, knowing that without Him in my life, there’s no knowing where I would be.
- Love for music. She instilled in me a great love for music, especially the traditional hymns of the church. Since she served as the church organist for most of my life, she spent many hours practicing in our home. She would sit at the organ or piano and play and sing one song after another for hours at a time. Most of the hymns we used to sing, I know by memory because of her.
- “You can never out-give the Lord.” This was another one of her favorite sayings. But it was more than just a saying, she truly believed it and as a result, lived it. She gave of herself to her Lord with her time, talent, and money. This is why she could say in her final hours, “Don’t grieve for me. This is what I have been waiting for. I am ready to meet my Lord.”
- Love for God’s Word. This is the most important thing I learned from my mom. When I think of the saying “Children learn more by what is caught, than taught” I think of my mom. She never told us what we ‘should’ do, she just did it. The first thing she did in the morning and the last thing she did at night was to read God’s Word. When it would come up in conversation, she would tell me that the consistent study of God’s Word had made all the difference in her life. When I cleaned out her home after her death, I found several notebooks of whole books of the New Testament she had memorized. I also found journals of her thoughts and notes she recorded as she studied. There were numerous Bible Study Books of studies she had led and participated in. She genuinely loved God’s Word. It ‘s interesting that I carry one of her Bibles, and every once in a while I come across one of her notes, it’s as if she’s still speaking to me.
Thank you, Lord, for a mom that had such a godly influence on my life. My prayer is that I will have that same godly influence on the lives of my children and all those I come in contact with.
4 comments:
What a lovely tribute to your mom. My mom died in 1989 and was not here for my wedding or the birth of my child. Hard to believe she has been gone 19 years already. Almost half my life. Sometimes I almost forget what it was like to have a mom. I pray that I am the kind of mom that will be remembered like you remember your mom.
Another thing that I'm so grateful for is that although she showed us how to live, she also showed us how to die. She knew her life was near the end and yet she held fast to her faith and was a constant encouragement to us. Not too many have the blessed experience of watching someone pass on to eternity with such grace and peace.
Don't you feel so blessed that the Lord gave you into the hands of a godly woman. I often think about this...God could have put me anywhere but He chose for me to be raised in a home that already worshiped Him! (I Praise you Jesus for choosing me!) I pray that one day God will give me the opportunity to live out the gospel in front of my own children. Thank you for sharing your heart!
Your mom was special. Glad I knew her.
Dianne Stobbe
Post a Comment