Friday, May 10, 2013

Precious Mothers


Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
                         Psalm 116:15 

      When I awoke this morning, my heart sang the praises of God for the refreshing, cleansing, life-giving rain the overnight hours brought to our dry and thirsty land. I stepped into my office and, since the thunderstorms had migrated east, I plugged my computer back into the power. I checked for messages and found praise from our son—grades posted-straight A’s. I read on.

     That’s when I saw it—“She died peacefully and I am certain in the full confidence of the eternal hope that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus.” Another precious saint, a towering presence from my childhood, graduated to heaven. Tears rolled as I prayed for her son, a lifelong friend, and his family.

     It wasn’t long before I began wishing I had a porthole view through the gates of glory. I envisioned the reunion of friends and family welcoming Bethel and imagined that her first request included a direct route to the throne room of God. I pictured my mom offering to escort her right up to the feet of Jesus.

     Praise rolled off my lips like a natural spring gushing forth from the ground. My mom, Pearl, Bethel, Marie… The list of godly women who have influenced my life by loving Jesus does not contain anyone on the world’s list of the “rich and famous”. Few, if any, outside their own realm of daily life would recognize their names. But they loved Jesus, and they loved me. I watched their lives and learned about real love and sacrifice. I learned about the love of a mother not only for her own children, but the children of others.

     I learned the word saint does not mean perfection but rather a life transformed day by day, hour by hour and moment by moment. So today, I take time to remember all the precious mothers in my life, especially my own, who changed lives by the simple act of love. Unbeknownst to them, their love lives on through future generations. Gone but never forgotten for:

     “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” May I be so bold as to say, especially mothers!

 

JP 2013

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