A Mother's Eyes

It has been said that "eyes are the windows to the soul." That couldn't be more true than for mothers whose children are sick or hurting.

One of the many blessings that God has given me is to serve the people of our community each month at Ruby's Pantry. People from all over Central Wisconsin to come to Waupaca to get some groceries for their families.

My volunteer job is to pre-register all of our visitors - most of them are mothers trying to provide for their families. My job might sound like a frightfully boring thing to most people but it has been a blessing and a privilege to be able to look into the eyes of ALL comers and to be able to ask them questions about important things. Life, family, God.

Some people are pretty good at hiding their emotions and some are actually fine and smiling, but the eyes of a mother who has a struggling or hungry child are the most wide open "windows of the soul" I have ever seen.

This past Saturday I was able to talk with a mom who, just one year ago, was seeking prayers for her struggling children. We prayed together for her family on a very cold day last February. This year the mom came up to me in the parking lot and told me about her children. All were doing fine. One had even received a promotion at her job.

"Wasn't it just a year ago we were praying for these children who are now so doing well? God is good!" I asked. Answered prayer.

Another mom was there picking up food for her daughter-in-law who was working and couldn't attend. Another was there because she had just been laid of from her job. But the most powerful conversation I had in the parking lot was with a mom who couldn't find formula for her young son.

I have seen lots of pictures on Facebook of people hoarding supplies when this virus hit - toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, - but I have not seen any pictures of people hoarding baby food. Yet, shelves in grocery stores are more lean than normal these days. Innocent children, suffering, has got to be my number one hot-button issue.

We had no baby formula that day. We never do actually. But what we DID have plenty of was caring people volunteering their time, and an abundance of prayer. All people in need of prayer were prayed for, whether they knew it or not.

God provides for His children. It not always what they want but it's usually exactly what they NEED. These are trying times to be sure. If you are trying to get through this virus thing on your own I wish you well. Wouldn't it be better to walk with someone who has promised to never leave you or forsake you?

God lifts us up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)! He restores our soul Psalm 23:3)! He gives us peace (John 14:27)! His Word is a lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105), a very present help in danger (Psalm 46:1).

Doesn't that sound like something we all NEED right now? If you don't have a relationship with God, if you have never met Jesus on your own personal road to Damascus, this is a great time to do so. SO, what are you waiting for? Talk to Him! It's easy, yet it may be the hardest thing you've ever done.

Tell Him you're sorry for ignoring Him, apologize for your sin and seek His forgiveness. He will do both of those things for you but you MUST ask. And then follow Him. Learn from Him. He is a wonderful teacher, and He loves you.

Make your faith and salvation the best thing to come out of this virus situation we are in. Then, you can look back on this time of strife in our world, and smile.

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." - Romans 10:9-10

Uphill Battle?

Every once in a while I take a picture that tells a story. It may not be the best photo but, if it speaks volumes to the heart, it's a good picture. This is one such photo for me.

Obviously, the photo is of a young lady and and an even younger man. A mother and her son perhaps? What are they doing?

They are walking uphill. More on that in a moment. The young boy is full of energy. His eyes are looking forward, looking toward some distant destination or goal. And he is running towards it!

The mother's eyes are focused on her son. She follows behind him closely, keeping him safe from danger, safe from harm. There is a little less enthusiasm in her eyes - almost a tiredness. But she is also determined . . . devoted to her son.

There is something missing in this photo though. It is something that would make this photo an even better story. There is no father is in this picture. It's just a mother and her son.

Sometimes life can throw a curve ball at us - something totally unexpected. Unforeseen circumstances can change our life's plans in an instant. So what do we do? How can we cope with the unexpected, life altering things that happen to us?

The first thing we can do is look at and appreciate the things we still have. Look at what God has given us. The mom in this picture has her son. She treasures and appreciates the gift that he is in her life.

Second, this mom has her entire future stretching out in front of her. That's what her son is looking at in this picture I think. She should be encouraged in that she gets to watch him grow into an amazing young man - strong and courageous and ready to face the world.

But the most important thing we should remember when things go bad in our lives is our faith in God. When we place our trust in Jesus we become HIs children. "I will not leave you as orphans." Those were the words Jesus spoke to His disciples. We are never alone.

We may feel lost sometimes in life. We may feel unworthy or worthless. We may even feel like a failure. But we are actually none of those things. That's just Satan pushing our buttons. We are far more valuable in the eyes of God.

^"11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-13

A mother's loving embrace helps grows a child

The young lady in that picture is a friend of mine. I know the things she has gone through in this life. She is a fighter, wanting what is best for her child - a loving caring mom to be sure. There are many more such women in this world - moms raising kids on their own.

There is much to be learned from these amazing ladies. Lessons in courage, determination, perseverance, and love. When life changes for the worse it can be like walking into an airplane propeller. It is what we do AFTER that happens that defines us.

A Mother's Prayer - Celine Dione
I Am Second - Lauren Scruggs 

What Mom's Can Do

I have been hearing a lot about somebody lately. Their name seems to pop up in conversations, I have been hearing this person mentioned in stories and sermons. But yesterday I heard a brand new take on this young man. And I became rather impressed . . . with his mom!

I'm nearing the end of 2nd Chronicles in my reading and I came across the story of Josiah. Josiah became king of Israel at the age of eight. But before I tell you about Josiah, let me tell you about his father, and his father's father.

Josiah's father was Amon. We can read about what kind of king he was in 2nd Chronicles 33, verse 22.

"33 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD."

Josiah's grandfather wasn't much better. We read about him in Chapter 33, verse 2.

"2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD."

Things do not go well for you if that is how you are described. But Josiah was different. We read about him in Chapter 34, verse 2.

^"2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."

How could someone turn out like Josiah did when he had such an evil father and grandfather? If we learn by example from our parents, how come Josiah didn't do "evil in the eyes of the LORD?" The answer can be found in a completely different book of the Bible - 2nd Kings.

 The book of Second Kings tells pretty much the same story about Josiah only the 2nd Kings story has some additional information.

"22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." - 2 Kings 22:1-2

I'm just guessing now but I think Jedidah was a pretty good mom. Do you have a mom like Jedidah? I was blessed with an amazing set of parents but not everyone receives parents like mine. Some kids get maybe one good parent like Josiah. Others don't receive any.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day - a day our nation has set aside to honor our mothers. D0n't just run out a buy mom a card and some flowers. That's nice, but it's not the best we can do. Honor your mother they way Jesus honored His Father. Honor her with your lives. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Cards get discarded, flowers fade, but someone's life, if lived like a good mom teaches us, will honor her for the rest of her life.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." - Exodus 20:12

"20 My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." - Proverbs 6:20

^"4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." - Ephesians 6:2

Thanks To You - Richard Marx

A Little Piece of Heaven

Well, I had a story all written for this morning, but now I find myself writing a brand new one, all because I listened to a Skillet song on my way in to work.

The song is about a young couple who found themselves pregnant. Not married, no money, no jobs, they wondered how they could possibly take care of a child. So they decided to terminate the pregnancy. They had an abortion.

But soon afterward they found themselves feeling terribly guilty for what they had done. They felt ashamed and the memory of their decision haunted them every minute of every day. They went see a counselor, it got do bad.

The counselor told them to treat their abortion like a death in the family so they did just that by doing three things. 1). They held a funeral. 2). they bought a headstone for a grave. And 3). they named their baby. This song was written from the father's viewpoint, sung to his aborted daughter.

Lucy - Skillet (with the story behind the song)

I listened to that song, as I said, on my way to work this morning. I couldn't help but shed a tear. You see, my daughter and her husband are trying to have a baby right now. They would give anything to be able to hold a young life like Lucy's in their hands right now.

And so this morning I prayed for all the young mothers and fathers of the world. That they might truly appreciate the gift of the life they have been given. And for the mothers and fathers who find they can't have children. I pray for them as well. I pray for young children in orphanages, on street corners, and in alley ways. May we always remember your name.

Won't you please join me in prayer as we seek mercy for these young souls. And also pray that God might take the ones that have been given up, abandoned, and thrown in the garbage to die. May these young mothers and father choose life over death. May they chose adoption rather than abortion. There are so many young couples who want children. And so many young babies who need loving parents. God, please, help us in this area. Help us chose life. Amen.

Mommy!

Mothers have very special relationships with their children. They feel their babies growing within them. They love their children before they are even born. Mothers go through tremendous pain to bring their children into the world. They nurse them, giving their children the life sustaining nourishment they need to survive.

Mothers give of themselves every step of the way - from conception, they carry their children with them. Only upon the birth of their new baby do mothers become physically separated from their children.

As children grow and develop into adults, their mother's love never fails, never falters. Mothers still have that maternal desire to nurture their children and take care of them - to see them succeed in life and to be safe. How deep must a mothers grief be then when they lose a child?

And yet, when I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the love she must have had for her son, and I contemplate what it must have been like to see her son, AND her God, hanging on that cross, dying, I can't help but marvel at the words of her song that appears in the book of  Luke.

"46 My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." - Luke 1:46-49

That gives me chills.

And, for as beaten and bloody as Jesus was, as He hung on that cross He took the time to speak to His mother, making sure she was taken care of for the rest of her life.

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"  and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." - John 19:25-27

How blessed was Mary to give birth to the Son of God!

Many of today's mothers have jobs. Just like men, their focus can often turn to their careers or to their social life. I think I heard some place that women now have just as many or more heart attacks than men do. What of their children then? Who is nurturing them? Their iPads and smart phones? Blessed be the mom's who stay at home, who teach their children well.

This weekend our country celebrates mom's. One day out of the year? I think that's wrong. We should be celebrating mothers EVERY day. Not to the point of worship. That would be idolatry. But simply, in appreciation for all they do. For without our mothers, where would any of us be?

We should celebrate our moms. Let's take them out to dinner, give them the night off, send them a card, a gift, or give them a call. But let us not forget to give thanks to God for His provision and His creation. How beautiful are His ways.