Live for God

When my mother recently went home to be with Jesus, I wanted her treasured Bible.  So every morning when I have my devotions, I read her Bible.  It is weathered and well used and many verses are underlined throughout, verses that meant something significant to her.  One morning I was looking something up, and I found the following underlined verse: 

Php 3:13    Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

Underneath this verse, my mother had written, "Live for God."  This meant a great deal to me because after she died, I felt as if my world had caved in, and I had lost my most treasured friend and dearest mother in the world.  I wondered how I was going to get through life without her, and bear the pain of losing her.  Since she was so uplifting and so encouraging throughout my life, many times in those first few weeks, in my mind I could still hear her encouraging me, and this is one of the strongest impressions I had right after she died. I was impressed to go on and live for Jesus, to not spend more time in sorrow than I would spend living for Him; the time is short before Jesus returns, and there is much work to be done.    

While this may sound cut and dried, and many will say that when you lose a dear loved one, that you have to take the time to grieve, we need to also shift our focus to what lies ahead.  I realized how crucial it is to fulfil the calling God has placed on my life, and to continue to do so without delay.  None of us knows the day or the hour of His soon return, and we do not know how much time we have.  It also helped me a great deal to know that my mother is now with Jesus, and that she is well taken care of, and she is with my dad and her family who also love Jesus.  She has finished her course, but mine is still to be completed. 

While I was thinking about the importance of moving on, and leaving behind what is past, I also thought about the cost of following Jesus. 

Luk 9:23    And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luk 9:24    For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 

My pilgrimage must go on, and this does not change.  Opportunities to share our faith, and present the only way to freedom from sin through the cross of Christ, are all around us every day.  I can truly say that in the days following my mother's passing, the opportunities to witness to others seemed to abound.  As I shared about my mother's passing, and I continue to, many others shared their stories of grief with me. I was able to give them hope and comfort by listening, sharing and then praying for them.  It has brought me great comfort to know that my mother's Godly life continues to bear fruit for Jesus through me and the rest of her children, and no doubt through many others who knew her.  I know that her many years of faithful prayers for me and the rest of her family are following her. 

So today, for all who are reading, if you are suffering a great loss as I have, or suffering in any other way, do not stay in the past and dwell there, move forward, and in every way possible, live for Jesus.  For this is what will count throughout eternity.

A Special Kind of Legacy - PART 2

I shared in the first blog that I felt it very important to share the Godly legacy my mother left behind with her recent passing.  In this second blog, I would like to continue to write about more of the Godly qualities that my mother had, in the hopes that it will stir us on to exemplify a similar life lived to the praise and glory of God.

 

 

Positive Attitude

Psa 100:1    A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Psa 100:2    Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Life wasn't always easy for my mom, and yet, she is one of the few people I know who kept an upbeat and positive attitude regardless of her sometimes difficult circumstances.  Overall, her positive attitude, I believe, kept her strong and healthy almost right up until her passing. I believe that she lived a full life, and a long life upon the earth because of it. Her mind stayed sharp, and even when she was in pain at the end, she still maintained a sense of humor, and was considerate of everyone around her.  Rather than complain, she wanted to know we were all well taken care of and happy.

Pauline came from a large family of 21, and 15 of them grew to old age and she deeply loved them. Nine of them died during her lifetime, and some nieces and nephews, and in-laws as well. One year she lost about three family members in succession that she was close to, and this hit her hard.  She lost a score of close friends.  She lost her husband, my dad, and this hit her the hardest.  She had a lot of painful losses, and I never saw her bitter or angry or stay depressed.  She was grateful for every day the Lord gave her.  She put her trust in the Lord.  Every birthday as the numbers got bigger, she'd remark how thankful she was that the Lord had given her another year.  I can't remember ever seeing her in a fluster.  She bided her time and she prayed a lot and she trusted the Lord.  She was not an anxious person, but paced herself and went with the tide instead of ruffling any feathers and going against it.  She was a woman of wisdom, and she faithfully read her Bible every morning and read a devotional every night.  This will account for her ability to stay calm where most people would have fallen apart.  When I was a rebellious teen, I never once heard her say anything to me that was hurtful or spiteful.  She never got after me where I likely deserved it.  She never stayed up all night when I didn't come home until the wee hours of the night or not at all.  Instead she would be praying on her knees for me, and that's what got me through those difficult years.  She was always there for me, cheering me on.

I shared in my tribute to her that she was a bright and cheerful morning person.  I marvelled how she could wake up cheerful even if she had hardly slept a wink all night.  She was a joy to be around, and she made even the most mundane tasks seem like a joy.  I never heard her complain.  I have seen her lift people's spirits who were feeling down, and pretty soon she had cheered them up with a good word, or some flowers and a card, or a special gift.  When we went through her things, we ended up with a big box full of greeting cards and many pads of paper that she would use to write a note of encouragement to someone to brighten their day.  I learned from my mom firsthand that God is a God of joy, and when we least feel like being joyful, this is when we need to be joyful the most. A cheerful attitude is a gift we give back to God, and it shows that we trust Him and care about the people He puts in our path.  Like my mother, may we learn to have a positive attitude no matter how difficult our own circumstances may be.

Generous

2Co 9:7    Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

God loves a cheerful giver.  Although wealth or fame were never part of our heritage, and we didn't starve by any means, my mom was gifted in joyfully and generously giving from whatever she had.  In fact, she lived to give.  I mentioned in the first blog that my mom was well known for her gift of hospitality. She was equally known for her generosity.  When I was just a kid, my mom, my Great Uncle Alf, and us kids would go uptown to the cafe and order a pop and something to eat.  When the bill came, my uncle, who was also generous, would grab the bill so he could pay.  Then my mom would grab it from him so she could pay.  They went back and forth like this until the bill would rip in half and everyone would be shocked and laugh.  This is something I never ever forgot, that a person would be so anxious to pay a bill that they would have a friendly little squirmish over the bill and rip it in half!  I wonder if even the Lord had a chuckle over that.

I don't remember her owing anybody anything, but if she did, she paid it all back, and usually added a little interest to it.  She did lend, and she always put something in the offering plate whatever church she attended.  She had a heart for people in ministries, and she supported them with financial gifts, sometimes on a regular basis.  If special speakers came to a banquet or were invited to a special service and they were selling a musical recording, she made sure that she bought a CD to encourage them and help them out financially.  She left a wonderful example of giving with joy, and not just doing it begrudgingly, or because she felt she had to out of obligation. 

Peace Maker

Rom 12:10    Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

My mom instilled in me the importance of living life right and doing the right thing even when you didn't feel like it.  This was especially true when it came to relationships with others.  She insisted that when there was a disagreement, that you had to make it right with that person.  She'd say, and sometimes with tears, "I just want to see everybody get along."  Peace and harmony in relationships were extremely important to her, and I never saw her bitter towards anyone.  She was someone who took to heart the plight of others, and she'd say to me, that you "weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice."  And this is what she did.

My mom literally hated it when there were discord and disagreements between people, whether it was family members, friends or even acquaintances she knew of.  She so much wanted to see everyone happy and get along together, that I have seen her weep when people weren't getting along.  If my siblings and I had a disagreement, she insisted that we make it right with each other.  She would carry the burden of the discord and disharmony in a way that I have never seen anyone do before.  Then when things were made right, I have seen her cry tears of joy.  Maybe this is an area that we sometimes overlook, and we do not take Scripture literally as my mom did.  We think it's okay to be at odds with someone, and yet, if we really have a heart of love for the Lord and others, we will not be hardened, judgemental, and feel justified in our anger or bitterness towards them.  We will feel for the other person, and we will quickly make things right. 

To sum it up, these are the six most outstanding Godly qualities of my mom among many others I could write about, and may add more in the time to come.  I will always have her example set before me, and given a choice, I pray I will choose to take the high road throughout my life, and keep my mom's legacy alive and prospering, and bearing fruit to the glory of God. 

A Special Kind of Legacy - PART 1

In this blog, I would like to share part of a legacy that has been passed on to me from my mom, Pauline, who recently went home to be with Jesus.  She was a remarkable woman who is and will be remembered for her Godly life.  In thinking about the many virtuous qualities she had, I knew that it would be important to share them because they have had such a lasting effect on me, my family and so many others.  Since her passing, we discovered that her life had a tremendously positive impact on everyone who ever met her or knew her, but this is not surprising, since we had seen it consistently exemplified throughout her lifetime of 86 years.  I came to realize how important it is what we do and say each day to live out the many truths in the Bible that we believe, and not just pay lip service to it.  I couldn't fit all the qualities into one blog, so there will be another to follow. 

Encourager 

Heb 3:13a    But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; 

At the memorial service, we each took our part in honoring her with our memories.  It was the second memorial celebration we had for her, and I marvelled how each person who took part, all said pretty much the same things about my mom, and it was echoed again and again in every sympathy card we each received, and any tributes to her that people had written online.  She was known for her acts of kindness and as someone who knew how to make you feel special.  If you had a talent, like singing, as my cousin shared, and she heard you sing, she would say, "You are the best singer I have ever heard!”  She had a gift of encouragement that kept us all going through the many days and trials of our attempted successes.  When I started sewing, and she would see a skirt I was making, or had made, she'd say, "You have a natural talent.  It's right in you to sew."  So I would keep sewing more and more challenging projects, and work through confusing and difficult patterns to make suit jackets, winter jackets, pants with pockets, and also dresses; you name it, I likely made it!  Anything that I wrote, she read, and affirmed to me over and over again how good a writer I was.  Thanks in a large part to her huge support, I have now written and published 32 books with two more on the way, and I have other books I've written that are not yet published.  She would extol all the many things I did almost to the point I wanted to run and hide, because I felt that it was sometimes too much, and others might feel bad.  My siblings felt the same, since she also clearly let everyone know how smart, or skilled, or talented we each were, and yet we loved that about her, the way she built us up.  When it became clear that my mom wasn't going to get better, my niece said, "She'll likely be encouraging Jesus in heaven, telling him what a great job He is doing."  Do we encourage one another?  We need to encourage others at every opportunity, since who knows how far this can take someone?  Perhaps there is someone today who is struggling to succeed, or is feeling discouraged by setbacks, or is hampered by a lack of confidence.  Let's not hesitate to lift someone’s spirits, as this is what the Lord would have us do. 

Evangelist 

2Ti 4:5    But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 

My mom was never afraid to speak up and share her love for and faith in Jesus.  She did it lovingly and respectfully, and with the same kind heart she had when she used her gift of encouragement.  She wasn't verbally preaching a sermon either, she was living it out with every kindness she bestowed.  Sometimes I was with her when she'd say a word or two to someone she wouldn't know who had shared some difficulty they were having.  She'd tell them she would pray for them, or she'd say "Let Jesus help you. He cares about our every need."  I wrote some tracts, and my mom would make sure she had a stack of them to leave places, and give them away.  She'd tuck them into letters, or just hand them out.  She was not afraid to spread the Gospel in any way she could.  She faithfully attended church all the years I was growing up, and well beyond.  As her former pastor said in his tribute about my parents to the effect that we were always in church "every Sunday."  Many times she would have invited someone or a family to come and she'd encourage them to keep coming so they could continue to grow in their faith.  She was a great publicist when it came to inviting people to church and the many church functions.  I know that because of what I learned and have seen from my mom, that I too have taken evangelism seriously, and it is something that weighs heavy on my heart as something very important to continue to do all the days of my life.  And according to Scripture, this is a requirement and a calling for every believer to do, to reach the lost for whom Christ loved, suffered and died for. 

Hospitality 

1Pe 4:9    Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

Hospitality is when we open up our home in a warm and welcoming way, and make our guests feel like they are very important to us.  We might serve them tea or coffee, and always offer some kind of snack or meal.  Hospitality seems to be almost a lost art today as we have all become so busy with our lives.  Not so with my mom.  She served in the capacity of hostess to the absolute full, setting a beautiful table with her fine china, lacy tablecloths, napkins and holders, and beautiful table centrepieces.  The house would be spic and span clean, and when you walked in the door, you could smell the turkey roasting in the oven, or the tender  roast beef cooked to just the right temperature.  I never tasted gravy as good as when my mom made it.  Her home-made apple pies would melt in your mouth, and always complete with ice cream.  We'd sit around the table and our home would be filled with love and laughter.  That was the way our home was all the years I can remember growing up and beyond.  My parents would invite friends, neighbours, visiting missionaries, relatives who popped in unexpectedly, and so on.  There was always ample food, and all home-made by my mom.  Many people commented how they remember the big spread my mom would lay out for family and guests alike. No one left our home feeling hungry, but were more than likely stuffed, and usually there was a special care package that went home with each guest.  Those are my most pleasant and treasured memories.  What a tremendous gift to give others, the gift of hospitality.  No wonder it is mentioned a few times in the Bible to give others an opportunity to be blessed by our willingness to open up our home and share of our bounty, however large or humble it may be. I learned from my mom that it is truly a great way to fellowship and show the love of God in practical ways. 

Please watch for my next blog, as there are some equally important qualities to be learned from my mom, and ones that are and can be life-changing.