Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Blessing of Being Influenced by a Godly Woman

A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value…Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.  –Proverbs 31:10, 11, 28 

If you had the blessing of being raised by a godly woman, then you were most fortunate.  My heart goes out to anyone who had to find his or her place in life apart from the influence of a kind, caring, and loving mother.  To say that I am thankful for my mother may be one of the all time great understatements.  She has always been ready to assist in any way possible.  And that isn’t just for me, but that goes for my brother, sister, and all of our children as well.  Mom and Dad have always been the “go to”  people in our lives.  When we have a problem and have nowhere else to go, we could always “go to” them.  My mother exemplifies not only Christian character, but true unconditional love.  Indeed, she typifies what it means to have someone love me no matter what.  

I would also point out that Mom has always been there to stand up for us.  I recall an incident when my brother and I were young boys.  We were walking home from school one day and two older boys, both teenagers, pushed my brother around some and said some hateful things to us.  When we got home Mom saw that we were upset, so I told her why.  Mom proceeded to march up the street where she found the two bullies lingering near the alleyway.  She then waded into those unfortunate hoods with a verbal thrashing unlike anything I had ever heard.  She gave them to understand in no uncertain terms that she was not averse to resorting to violence should they ever harass my brother and me again.  As she walked away, one of the boys called Mom an ugly name.  Mom whirled around, and much to my horror, ran straight at the two thugs, who at that moment made the better choice of running for their lives.  I had no idea Mom could run that fast.  I feared for my mother’s safety, but it wasn’t until some years later that I realized I should have feared for the safety of the two boys.  Had she caught them she might well have made good her threat of physical violence.  That was the last time we ever saw those two boys in our neighborhood, and they never bothered us again. 

Character, kindness, compassion, a fighting spirit that says “I will not give up,” and the Christian faith to which I have devoted my life, I owe to my godly mother.    

Thanks Mom, for everything.  I hope you have a great Mother’s Day.   

You deserve it.