Please remember,
Johnston Heights Church
– our LPD Church of the Week.
Thanks to Anna (Ben) Crumback at Sointula Community Church for producing the Church of the Week!
This Mother’s Day will be the first one I have experienced without my mother. I will not purchase her a Mother’s Day Card. Karen and I will not visit her at the senior’s residence, delivering a traditional “mums” plant and sharing an ice cream treat.
My mother passed away on December 20, at the age of 96. Though her life had been greatly impacted by dementia, and she would often forget me, she always remembered the Lord, and was sure of his love for her.
This year, I will honour Karen, as a mother and grandmother, and our three daughters-in-law as the mothers of our seven (soon to be eight) grandchildren.
In thinking about my mother, my thoughts go to her love for us and so many others, and to her generous hospitality. She certainly did not have a “gift” of administration, but she more than made up for this by her gifts of hospitality and generosity.
Though my mother was “successful” in a variety of of endeavors – from writing for newspapers to realty, neither of these were central to her person or being. Both were vehicles, through which she served and blessed others.
Mom and Dad as newlyweds Mom at 90
One of Mom’s Several Part of Mom’s Legacy
Realtor Trophies
As we have had to go through mom’s things, and settle her estate, we have been faced with some tough decisions. What does one do with mom’s award certificates and trophies? While each one is significant, where do we now put them?
Mom’s legacy is not found in her awards and accomplishments. It is the impact of her investment in the lives of family and others she served. She knew this. She lived for this.
On my mind as I write these words are the lyrics of that old hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.” The chorus reads:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
When God wants to assure his people of his love and care for them, he could think of no better illustration than the love of a mother for her child. God, through his Prophet Isaiah comforts his discouraged people with the following words:
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. (Isaiah 49:14-16).
While no mother is perfect, and yes, some might even let their children down, they do provide the best human illustration that God can provide of his compassionate and faithful love for his people.
Thanks moms! Through you, we better understand our Heavenly Father’s love. Thanks also to all those, who like the mother of Rufus, are like moms to others too. (Romans 16:13).
On another note....
How thick is your skin? None of us like criticism, yet none of us is beyond it. Even what might be called, “constructive criticism” can hurt.
Pastor Eric Geiger has written an excellent article entitled, “Five Necessary Character Traits for Handling Criticism Well,” that we can all learn from.
five-necessary-character-traits-for-handling-criticism-well/
Please pray for:
