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.
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