Mama the Wonderful

Mama the Great. Mama the Supermom. Mama the Heroine. Mama the Incredible...and on and on and on. I could have chosen any of them to use as a title for this posting. However, to do so would be to dishonor, for though I think my mother is all of these things and more, yet she is so human that she would cringe at my calling her those things. She is wonderful, however, and no one can deny that. I want to make something straight here, though. Most people who know my mother look at her as if she was some kind of super-mom, some type of human being with extra powers. I live with her, and know that this is not the case, but what is is the fact that she walks faithfully through every day, never looking back, always forward - ever pressing on for the cause of Christ - whether or not it's fun, and whether or not it's easy. That's faith. My mother is wonderful because she chooses to take God at His word - whether or not it makes sense. My mother's life is powerful and influencing because she lets it be. That's simply it. She will readily tell you that womanhood is a powerful tool to wield, and that any woman can use that gift of herself to communicate vast volumes of truth into many lives - by using this gift of herself. A mother, (and mine especially because I view her everyday) teaches far more than words by the example she portrays with her life. But she does use words, too! My mother's words are deep rivers and penetrate the coldest of hearts. I've watched her be used mightily of the Lord in dealing with not-so-perfect people. But, to me, her daily life is the sweetest blessing.
Mama considers her highest goal to be helping her husband raise up her ten precious children for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. And she does her job well, some people think, too well. My mama is wise. She knows how to relate to each one of her individual thinkers, talkers and smilers. Her heart lights up with joy when her little son, Micah (our ultra-tenderhearted) informs her of some little happiness in his life. (In other words, she's not pretending to be happy when Micah lets her know that he is so glad he found the toad he lost.) Her face melts in compassion, though never in resolve, when her little wayward son, (the unnamed supremely animated member of our family some of you will know by his huge smile and high voice!) has just strayed from the path of righteousness again. Or when her older sons and daughters have heavy issues on their hearts, my precious mother never treats the issue lightly; rather, prayerfully she addresses our hearts with the truth in love - her proven recipe for success.
Has my mother always been this way? I smile, thinking about the many times in the past when she certainly was not. But God is changing her, just like He will any willing vessel. My mother is a study in complete femininity, and being completely feminine, she recognizes her position in the hand of a Sovereign God who created her and placed her right here, to serve us, her family.
My dear mother recognizes in her highest goal of raising her children for God the high goal of leading them to Him. My mother led me to Christ at the age of eleven, and has, this summer, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, led my little sister Rachel (14) to Jesus after many tears for her soul. A month ago my brother Micah (7) came to the Lord, and today, I praise the Lord to say that our two peas-in-a-pod, Bethany (10) and Joel (9) made Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. My mother was there, as she always is, with my dear father, sitting with tears in her eyes and a smile on her radiating countenance. My mother is always beautiful, but never more than when a little one of hers has found a place in the fold of the Great Shepherd and mercy at the cross. My mother is wonderful. And my prayer at the end of my post is that God would give me the same sweet spirit He has given my mother - like He will give every mother who asks Him - so that someday I might have the greatest joy of life: seeing my own precious lambs fall into the arms of their Saviour.