When I grow up….

Today I was really missing my mom. I know God brought our family to Georgia, away from all our family, for reasons more important than my comfort and pleasure but there are some days that I just ache to be near my mom and dad. But God uses this longing to teach me that it is Him who can supply everything I need. So if you too find yourself missing a loved one, maybe even for different reasons, pursue Christ and let Him be your Comforter and soul Satisfier. 

For several years now after Christmas my mom and dad have caravanned with us back to Georgia. At some point during their visit I am usually conspiring ways to get them to stay a little longer. I could have them a month and it probably wouldn’t be long enough. This year I was able to talk my dad into journeying home alone and letting mom fly back via Spirit Air. I got to keep her an extra 8 days. 🙂 
 

When I grow up I want to be like my mom.

Some would probably say “You ARE your mom” and in many ways I am like her. I saw this great plaque that made me laugh. It said “Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all.” 🙂 But what I mean is I want to be like my mom in the way she loves Jesus and is wholly, unashamedly, downright dependent on Him. I mean, whether we see it this way or not we ALL are dependent on God but my mom recognizes this need for Him in her life and daily, moment by moment at times, she brings herself into the presence of her King and yearns for His grace, will, and wisdom. My mom is not perfect but her love for Jesus is without question.

“Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!”‭‭ 1 Chronicles‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭

God has graced my mother with many great qualities. She is a servant. If she CAN do it she WILL. We joke about how she says yes to everything. My mom has labeled herself with M.A.D.D. (Ministry attention deficit disorder) and sometimes laments over this characteristic. We tend to long for that individual ministry calling but I don’t think this is a defect or flaw if we don’t identify one. I think God needs individuals who are willing to come alongside any ministry to assist those with specific callings. I like to consider these the “Divergents” of ministry. I mean who doesn’t wanna be divergent? 😉

My mom is easy going and fun. She has this awesome ability to tackle tasks without getting overwhelmed. I can be staring at a mountain of paperwork, doctors appointments, and list of to-dos and she’ll be cheering in front of me “Just take it one thing at a time.” As we organized and post Christmas cleaned, she had such a “we can do this AND laugh/have fun” approach. Her attitude and quoting of scripture and truth repeatedly takes away my tendency to become anxious in certain situations and points me to the Source of peace and joy.

She is crazy gracious. Thank goodness for me…. She sees people from such a loving-merciful perspective and extends compassion and truth in ways that clearly identifies the power of the Holy Spirit within her.

…..that clearly identifies the power of the Holy Spirit within her……

This is how I want to be like her. I want to consistently act in ways that clearly identify the Spirit of God at work within me. And the key component I saw in my moms relationship with Christ is a beautiful marrying of mutual pursuit. He pursues her and she pursues Him. She pursues Him in His Word and in communicating with Him. He speaks in her heart and she seeks to obey. She listens FOR Him and talks to Him. She pursues Him honestly and repentantly. It is consistent. It is daily. Every morning I heard her rise early, denying precious hours of sleep after bunking with my children. (Being that they are bed hogs this is just not quality sleep.) At times in the day or evening she would retreat to her room to read or pray. One night we both escaped to her room and proceeded to cast all our cares and cover every base we could conceive of in prayer. 

What my mom reminded me though is how our relationship with Christ should be pursued like our sweetest most precious earthly relationships. We think about Him always, we talk with Him every chance we can, we ask for and value His opinion, we trust His wisdom, we heed His instruction and we treasure Him above all else. 

So Mom, thank you for making Christ your treasure, even at points above time with family. May we all learn from your beautiful example.

“But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭40:16‬ ‭

*After finishing this post my mom called me to share about an old journal she ran across. The journal exposed some of her early struggles (like rising early to commune with God- exhaustion is definitely the theme for young moms) in her pursuit of Christ and it was a wonderful reminder that sanctification is indeed lifelong and often slow. Dear Lord, help us to never lose heart or grow impatient with the process.*