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.
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.
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