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Friday, May 7, 2010

The Most Influential Lady I Have Ever Known

I picked up a magazine recently and noted the cover story- The Most Influential Women, names like Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, etc...... gracing the cover. Immediately, I thought of the idea of writing this week, leading up to Mother's Day, of my Mother, the most influential lady I have ever know...

The Scripture from Prov. 31:10-31 was preached at her funeral, and may I say, never more appropriately so?  This passage seems to be dismissed today "because after all,who can attain this woman's stature?" they ask. But the writer asks the question "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." because, yes , she is rare, but yes, also, she does exist. My Mother was one, no, not perfect, but I must admit, I could not find many flaws!

The modern woman, today, seems to be concerned with being, "chic", clever, cute, charismatic,cultural, but this woman in Prov. 31 was concerned with character. Note verse 30-"Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." We are majoring on that which is temporary and seemingly, not caring a bit for that which lasts forever. Keeping people eternity conscious is a worthy goal and character, although the worldview today is that it no longer matters, still matters in the eyes of God. Our character is who we are when no one is watching!

Using that word, character, as my springboard, let me, from this inspired passage, tell you why I believe my Mother's legacy lives on today.  Mother loved and sought the best for her companion- my daddy, her husband for 52 years. From verses 11 and 23, I saw her "do him good" all of her days and he could trust her. He, as all men trying to work and provide, may have had many concerns from time to time, but he knew she was a "keeper at home" (Titus 2) and that her home was her priority and was being run well. Her life wasn't casual nor carnal but rather, she was committed, firstly to Christ, then to her companion, and then to her children.

Mother bore eight children, burying one of them when he was only 8 months old. She loved each one of us, took care of us, taught us and truly was one of the most unselfish people I have ever known as she undertook one of the most challenging jobs that there is and that is raising children. Maybe, I write today to a young mom of young children and you feel overtired and underappreciated. Please let me encourage you to "keep at it"! No one can influence that precious gift from God, His loan of that child, like you can. Didn't someone say "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world?"  Those are wise words, dear sister, and there is great reward which I will touch on later. The world may not give you a trophy but do we really care about that? I mean, my Mom was not on the cover of that magazine but she is in God's Book!

I see in this Scripture, also, a woman of compassion and my Mother personified that attribute. I watched her give the trash collector a drink of water, saw her bake and take the cake to the hurting, observed her speaking kindly (verse 26) to a little girl in the grocery store, even, as I found out later, as we shopped that day, she was experiencing a heart attack. But she had time because she had a heart of compassion, probably, developed during a "not so easy" life herself.

Mother's daddy died when she was a little girl and her mother, being left alone to raise five children, remarried and the stepdad wasn't very good to the children. Mother once told me that she cried herself to sleep many nights because her three brothers were made to work too hard for their ages and then at the supper table would be so berated and verbally harassed that she had seen them leave the table hungry and go to bed. This story clarified why she always insisted there would be peace and quiet while we had our meals. I can see her rushing to grab a towel as we would spill our drinks (and with 7 kids, that was alot of messes) and I still hear "It's fine, just a little spill that can be cleaned up."

Mother didn;t experience an easy life- from childhood to marrying young- to escape that verbally abusive  home and then a houseful of kids to tend. She followed all of her siblings to the grave, one being her only sister, much beloved Annie Laurie, no doubt, her best friend and closest confidante when she needed her most. In 1972, Mother received a phone call that no one wants to get. Annie Laurie, many years widowed, had driven into her yard the night before and someone had shot her multiple times and her co-worker had discovered her body the next morning when she arrived to take her to work.

I was a young, married woman at this time and I was much concerned for my Mother during this extremely difficult time and from the tragic things in her life, I observed perseverance and the reason being was her confidence. The Prov. 31 lady has strength and honor for her clothing, more concerned for the inner woman than the outside, and she was a prepared vessel "not afraid of snow for her household."

Mother's confidence, her faith, actually, in her Sovereign Lord is what brought her through the storms of life, of which comes to all of His children. She was a humble handmaiden of the Lord and realized that the past grace He had provided for her every day, good and bad, ensured her of His future grace and sure enough, on Oct. 20, 1985, we saw her exit this stage with that same meek and quiet and settled spirit that we had observed all of our days. She couldn't breathe hardly but there was a tremendous confidence and peace because her CONFIDENCE AND PEACE GIVER  was ushering her into the next world.
   
She inspired me because of her CHRIST, her COMPANION, her CHILDREN, her COMPASSION, and her CONFIDENCE, and I close with her COMMENDATION. Verse 28 "Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praises her. "  Yes, we still do, even after 25 years of missing her precious presence in our earthly lives. I pray that would be my goal and your goal, dear sister in Christ. I wrote her a Mother's Day note after my children were born and told her that if mine could say to me what I tried to put on paper to her that particular day, that I would feel my life had meant something. She was and is precious to my heart, the most influential lady I have ever know.!

Looking up, Deborah
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you dear ladies who read!

2 comments:

  1. BONNIE was the best

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  2. That's our Mom!!! My oh my how we miss her and how I long for the day when we'll be united again, never to be separated!!! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!! Great tribute to Mom, Deb!!! Thanks for sharing this. Dedene

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