NOTHIN' SAYS LOVIN'

I was talking to my six year old granddaughter Katie on the telephone one day last week. We were talking about what we want to do when they come back from Ecuador next year for a few months. I mentioned that they would probably stay with us and we could have one long sleepover every night! “Yes, I can’t wait!” Katie agreed, “but the first thing I’m going to do is rush right over to Grammy’s apartment and have a sleepover with her! You can come, too,” she graciously invited. Grammy is my mother – Katie’s great-grandmother.

“Well, since you’ll be having a sleepover with me most of the time, then I’ll probably stay home and you can have one with Grammy, just the two of you.”

“Well, then we’ll have a tea party at Grammy’s house and you can come to that!” she suggested. “Grammy will bake lots of good things. Grammy likes to bake things for people. She has lots of time to bake. My mommy doesn’t have that much time to bake, but Grammy has lots and lots of time to bake and read books, and things like that!” She chattered on and on about how she just couldn’t wait to “rush right over to Grammy’s!”

It was a delightful conversation and I wasted no time in sharing it with my mother. There is a special relationship somehow between Katie and her Grammy. I don’t know if it is because Katie has my mother’s name – Connie – for her middle name, or if it is because she came shortly after my father went home to be with the Lord and Mom took special joy in that new baby, but for some reason they share some sort of special connection. Katie just adores her Grammy and misses her the most, and I, her grandma, try to be understanding and not get my nose bent out of shape over it! Unfortunately, although Mom tries hard not to have “favorites” among her grandchildren, Katie recognizes the uniqueness of their relationship, too, and likes to flaunt it in front of her sisters!

Katie hit the nail on the head when she extolled the virtues of Grammy’s baking. My mother has always liked to bake, and she has earned quite the reputation with her pies and cookies. Nobody, but nobody, bakes pies better than my mom’s! Sadly, that talent skipped a generation because neither I, nor any of my siblings that I am aware of, inherited her pie-baking skills. My two daughters, however, went to Grandma for lessons years ago on how to make an apple pie, and now they (and their husbands!) can make a pie almost as good as hers. And cookies! You never saw such a mouth-watering array of yummy cookies like my mom makes for Christmas every year. For years she would make double and triple batches of twelve or thirteen different kinds and give them away by the platterful – still keeping plenty for us, of course! One of my favorite childhood memories is of literally running home from school on a cold winter’s day and coming into a house that smelled deliciously of mom’s homemade cookies!

Mom and I were remembering recently a Mother-Daughter banquet we helped with over thirty years ago at Hessville Baptist Church. The theme was “Nothin’ Says Lovin’ Like Somethin’ from the Oven – and Mother Says It Best!” Mom was never crafty. She baked and cooked and kept the cleanest house and kids you ever saw, so she never had time or (she would tell you) the talent to do crafts. The one craft she ever did was the centerpieces for that banquet – and it was right up her alley! She made dozens of beautiful homemade rolls in all sorts of varieties and shapes and then we shellacked them until they were glistening. (*sigh* It was the first time we couldn’t eat her yummy baked goods!) We glued them together and put them in baskets lined with red-checked material. They looked fantastic on the tables and so realistic (well, because they were!) that it was difficult not to want to bite right into one of those yummy rolls! People talked about those centerpieces for years and when we sold some at a yard sale years later they were snatched right up.

There are two things about my mother that have influenced me more than anything else. The first is that my mom is a woman of faith. Katie is too little to understand what that means right now, but someday she will look back on her spiritual heritage and realize that her precious Grammy had a lot to do with the fact that she accepted Jesus as her Savior, too. My mother was a godly example to her children of faith and faithfulness, praise and prayer. Each of her children accepted Christ as their Savior at young ages. I, in turn, taught my children the things my mother had taught me, and they, too, became believers, and now are teaching their own children.

I heard something just this week that I had never thought of before. Do you know why we believers are not judged immediately upon entering Heaven for our faithfulness and service for Christ, but will wait until the Judgment Seat of Christ after the Rapture has taken place to be judged? It is because even after we leave this earth, our influence and work for Him lives on. The seeds I have planted in my children’s lives, or the lives of others around me, will continue to grow and reproduce into fruit for Him over and over again, even into the generations to follow. I pray that my life will be a spiritual heritage for my children and grandchildren, just as my mother’s has been for me.

The Bible tells us of several women, among others, whose faith influenced their children, and through them went on to influence countless millions through the ages. Moses’ mother Jochebed only had the early years of his life in which to influence him, for after only four or five years she could no longer play the nursemaid for Pharoah’s daughter. What he learned in those early years in his mother’s lap and at her knee had a tremendous influence on his life for not only did he turn to the God of Israel, though he was later brought up in the palaces of Egypt, but he went on to be the Hebrews’ great leader. Hebrews 11:24-27 tells us, “By faith, Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked unto the recompense of reward.” What his mother had taught him in those early years was never forgotten.

In the New Testament we see Timothy the great Christian evangelist and pastor. With a pagan father, and growing up in a pagan city, the chances of Timothy following the Lord Jesus Christ were slim, indeed. A godly Christian grandmother and mother, however, had their influence, and it was from their teaching and example that Timothy grew up to accept and know and follow the Lord, as well. Paul wrote to him from prison, “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience, how unceasing is my remembrance of thee in my supplications, night and day, longing to see thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice… From a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 1:3-5; 3:15) As a leader in the early church, Timothy went on to influence millions of others down through the centuries for Christ.

We see the powerful influence of a godly mother-in-law, as well, in Scripture. The book of Ruth tells us the story of Naomi and Ruth, her young Moabitish daughter-in-law. The love and godly faithfulness of Naomi had caused Ruth to forsake her pagan gods and follow after the one, true God of Israel. Now when Naomi planned to return to her own land and people, Ruth begged her, “Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17). We continue on to see in Scripture that in due time Ruth married Boaz, father of Obed, father of Jesse, father of David the king, and ultimately became an ancestress of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks to the faithful witness, love and influence of Naomi.

God placed these women in strategic places and times in the history of the world to be an influence on their children and through them on millions who would follow in their footsteps. That is still the role of Christian mothers today. It is still our privilege and sacred duty.

The second thing that Katie did recognize is that Grammy cares for others and does all she can to be a helper and encourager. “Grammy likes to bake for other people,” she said, but she has seen first hand many of the other things Grammy likes to do for others, as well. My mother’s kindness and care; her generosity in giving of herself, her time and her finances; and her words of encouragement are a blessing and inspiration in the lives of family, friends and even many strangers around the world. I am sure she herself does not realize the influence her spiritual gifts of encouragement, ministry and giving have had. They have certainly had an influence on me as I have strived to be a woman like my mother. Scripture tells us to add “to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” (II Peter 1:7) The Bible says “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another…Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” (Romans 12:10, 13) Paul said of believers who encouraged and helped one another, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you” (II Thessalonians 1:3,4)

Someday when my mother stands before the Judgment Seat of Christ I am sure she will hear the words, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. The influence of her faith has led, and will continue to lead, many to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. The influence of her service for Him has blessed and encouraged countless people both near and dear to her, and around the world. The influence of her life will never make the headlines, or cause her to win great awards or fame here on earth, but someday Jesus Himself will recognize her influence before all Heaven and reward her with a crown.

Thank you, Mom. Your influence is clear, even among the smallest of your great-grandchildren. We love you. Happy Mother’s Day!

CONQUERING THE MOUSE

We took my mother out for lunch today at a very pretty Mexican restaurant called Abuelo’s. It was our early Mother’s Day celebration. Last year, we girls (sisters and sister-in-law) had done the same thing and enjoyed it so much we decided to make it an annual event. This year my brother (“She’s my mom, too, so I should be allowed to come!”) and some of the other guys wanted in on it, so we were a larger bunch. We went a week early to avoid the Mother’s Day crush that you always see in restaurants. I was excited about it and eagerly looked forward to the day, even planning our trip to Alabama around it so I could be here for it. We were giving my mother a special Mother’s Day gift this year and I didn’t want to miss out on that!

This year we brought Mom into the twenty-first century and got her a laptop computer! She’s been using WebTV for the last twelve or thirteen years for her e-mail and the little bit of internet browsing that she could do on it. They don’t even sell WebTV anymore, and it is so limited that we felt it was about time she moved on. She was starting to feel a little left out, too, when her sisters and kids and grandkids could get on Facebook, and see photos that she couldn’t see and go to other websites she couldn’t access. She had resisted getting a computer for a long time, but now that her twin sister had one and was doing fine with it, I think she felt more confident that she could handle it, too.

I broached the subject to her a couple months ago and she seemed excited about it. I relayed the information to my siblings and kids and we decided to go together and get her a laptop, and get her all set up. When Mom opened the laptop at the restaurant, though, I think suddenly she felt a little intimidated. Uh-oh.

My brother-in-law Brian had set everything up for her, except for getting it hooked up to the internet, which we will do this week. When we left Abuelo’s I went home with Mom for a little while to see where she would like to use her laptop and to take another look at it. I suggested we have lesson #1 – turning on the computer and using the mouse.

Mom got out her paper and pen to take notes. Turning the computer on, she got down pat. Using the mouse was a little more difficult. Every time she clicked it would jerk out of place. Sometimes she couldn’t see where the cursor was. The icons were a little small so we enlarged them. (Good thing we didn’t get the smaller netbook we first considered!) I could see she was a little nervous about the whole thing. “Mom,” I tried to encourage her, “little, little children learn to do this, and if they can, so can you! Everyone has the same problem at first until they practice a little and get the feel for it. I promise – in no time you’ll be doing just fine!” And I know she will. I am sure she will conquer that mouse, and by the end of this week she will have moved on and conquered even bigger and better things! Bye-bye WebTV!

Sometimes it is the little things that really get to us, isn’t it? The baby steps we have to take in learning something new – like learning to use a mouse before we can learn to use a computer. Or the small details that seem to slow us down as we work on a bigger task. Or the background noises that grate on our nerves; the ingredient we find we are missing; spilling juice on the freshly-scrubbed floor. And then there is Murphy’s Law – everything that could go wrong, goes wrong whenever we try to accomplish things. I find myself constantly shaking my head and sighing, “Nothing is ever easy!”

There’s a saying that’s been around for a number of years now – Don’t sweat the small stuff. In other words, don’t let little things get to you – just focus on what is important. Mom’s payoff in learning how to use the mouse will be in being able to e-mail and web-browse so much more quickly and easily, and that is the important thing for her. Once she loses her inhibitions with the mouse, she can focus on that important goal.

We all face those little things that sometimes stand in the way of us being able to accomplish the big things. Song of Solomon 2:15 says that it is the little foxes that spoil the grapes. “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines.” (Song of Solomon 2:15) It is the little things that hinder our spiritual growth and our walk with the Lord. For instance:

A little laziness stands in the way of success. “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:10, 11)

A little folly can ruin a reputation. “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

Little faith brings about worry and displeases God. “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30)

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Little love for our Lord, or our brothers and sisters in Him show where our heart is. I John 3:11, 14, 16-18 says, “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

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A little leaven or sin ruins our work and our testimony for Him. “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (I Corinthians 5:6)

The little tongue can do a huge amount of damage. “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:5, 6)

Little gratitude hurts the Lord when we are given so much and yet we still grumble and complain and are not thankful. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” In everything – even the little things, even the difficult things, even the so-called bad things.

Let us not focus our attention on the little things that cause us to stumble, but rather thank Him for the little things. When they are obstacles, remember that ”I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) When they are irritations remember Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” When they are little sins that hinder our spiritual growth remember that is the little foxes that spoil the vines and determine that we will face them with His help.

Mom will conquer that mouse yet, and we all can conquer those little foxes!

LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY MOTHER

Today is Mother’s Day. My mom is out of town, on vacation in Florida with two of my sisters and my brother. We girls had a great time last Sunday, though, when we all went out to eat at a beautiful restaurant with lots of atmosphere and good food. We had such a nice time that we’re thinking we may make that our new Mother’s Day tradition – leave the husbands and kids at home the week before Mother’s Day and treat ourselves to something special!

It turns out that Bob suddenly went out of town, too, this weekend. Julie and David had a problem suddenly pop up in their house and Bob drove down to Shreveport, Louisiana to help them. Their house is still on the market and David has to leave this Thursday for Montgomery, Alabama. Of all times to discover a leak going on inside the wall behind their shower! David has to take down part of that wall, fix the leak and then repair the wall, including dry wall, stucco, and paint. David's never done most of that and Bob felt that since he happened to have a four day weekend off anyway, and they are in such a tight spot, he should make a quick trip down there to help him. They’ll have only two days to get it done, make it look "perfect" and get the house back on the market again.

So now it’s just Robbie and me here on Mother’s Day. I’m sure I’ll get calls from Laurie in Ecuador and Julie in Louisiana, and hopefully from my hubby, too! I’ll play the harmonica for Robbie and he’ll give me lots of lovin’. It will be a fine day because I am glad that Bob could help the kids, my mom can take a nice vacation and my girls are right where the Lord wants them!

I have a terrible memory when it comes to my childhood, teen years, or even my children’s childhood days. There are certain things that stick out, though, in my mind. Many of those things are lessons my mother taught me (or tried to teach me) either by word or example.

Mom tried to teach me that naps are a good thing. She’d lie down beside me at naptime and fall asleep herself—or so I thought. I would ever so carefully try to slither down the length of the bed and sneak away—only to feel a hand grab my ankle and pull me back. Never could figure out how she did that. To this day, I still don’t like taking naps.

My mother tried to teach me to like rutabaga. That never happened, and never will—not for me or any of my siblings, either! Her idea was that at least we ought to try different vegetables. Why we had to be exposed to rutabaga so many times, though, I do not know! As hard as she tried, I never learned to like rutabaga, or brussels sprouts or squash, either, for that matter!

Mom tried to teach me to make a perfect pie crust. Nobody makes a better pie crust than my mother! The pie-making genes skipped me, though, for no matter how many times she tried to tell me, or even show me, I never did learn to make a pie crust like hers. My girls both learned that talent from their grandma, though—and so did their husbands! At least we are assured that Mom’s apple pies will continue through the next generation, even if the gift does not come through me!

My mother tried to teach me to cook anything. The day after I got my engagement ring she said it was time I learned to cook. The first thing I was supposed to cook was something simple—tacos. Well, three hours and four pounds of hamburger later (I burnt --and I mean burnt -- the first two pounds) I finally had supper made. That was when she informed me that I could learn to cook on my husband.

I actually did learn many other things from my mother, though. Mom was a good whistler, and I’ve followed in her footsteps, whistling as I go about the house, or singing as I do my work. She would be the first to tell you she wasn’t a great singer, but she loved the old hymns and often sang as she washed dishes or did the other housework. My mother was naturally an optimistic and cheerful person. She had a sense of humor and would laugh first of all at herself. I’m the same way.

My mother was, and still is, a reader. Now that she has more time to herself, I would say that she is a voracious reader. She has a library of thousands of books, and her friends and family regularly borrow books from her as if she actually were a real lending library! I learned my love for books and reading from her, and I am so happy to say that both my girls and all my grandchildren have acquired that same love.

And then there were so many other things she taught me that would become lessons for life…

My mother taught me to praise the Lord in everything. Cheree and I were in an accident once when we were riding home from a winter retreat on the church bus. It was snowing hard when the bus tipped over going down the entrance ramp to the highway. No one was seriously hurt, however, and we were all taken to a nearby coffee shop to wait for another bus to come and get us. I called my mother to tell her what had happened, and as I did, I started to cry. “Why are you crying?” she asked. “No one was hurt. You should be praising the Lord!” I’m sure she must have been shaken a little by my phone call, but she did not let on to me if she was. It was a lesson she would teach me – to praise and thank the Lord always.

She taught me to love and trust the Lord. From the time we were very small she made sure we got to Sunday School, even when it meant riding the bus with us herself. She was always an example to us of faith and faithfulness and frequently would remind us of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” There is no better teacher than a role model, and my mother was that, indeed. I have always looked upon my mother as a woman of strong faith and a prayer warrior and hoped and prayed I would be a woman of faith like her.

I always wanted to be a mother like her, also. There was never a doubt that she loved us and would do anything she could to help us, but she believed in discipline, too, and we could be sure if we messed up she would be there to correct us so that we didn’t soon forget. I remember a time when I was 13 years old and I was spending the night at a friend’s house. She had done something wrong and her mother was quite upset with her. She came in and in a sweet, gentle voice said, “Now, dear, you shouldn’t have done that!” She gave her a tiny little tap with a fly swatter. My friend laughed in her face and made fun of her. I remember thinking then, as a very young teenager, how wrong that was and how I wanted to be a mother like my mother. She might spank or yell, but she disciplined because she loved us and wanted us to grow up into responsible, good people. My friend messed up her life, and as a result messed up her kids’ lives, also. My mother’s discipline paid off.

She taught us to love the Lord, and she taught us to love others, too, by her example. She is always a thoughtful friend and steps in when she sees a need with which she can help. She is generous and caring and always there for her family, and friends and neighbors, too. Her compassion for others taught me a lot even before we got Robbie, and helped to make our hearts open to having a child with special needs.

There are so many other lessons I learned from my mother – lessons on forgiveness, responsibility, perseverance, doing the right thing, standing for your convictions… She was the heart of our home, as children, and is still the frosting that holds us all together! (Bet you thought I was going to say glue, didn’t you?) I know she’s set aside photographs and special mementos for each of us to have some day. There are traditions she began in our family that still are a part of our lives and will continue through the next generations as well. Those things are precious and treasured heirlooms, but the things I will cherish most, and hope to pass on to my own children and grandchildren, are the lessons I learned from my mother.

Proverbs 31 describes The Virtuous Woman. It says, “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." (Proverbs 31:25-31) That’s my mother, and I am rising up and praising her in the gates today!

Thank you, Mom, for the lessons learned.

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Update -- The day turned out to be even nicer than I thought it would and I wanted to share it with you!

First of all, the plumbing problem at Julie and David's was not what they thought it was and they did not have to tear into a wall after all! It was a cracked drain pipe in the shower that was easily fixed in one day with no destruction to the house. That is a huge praise! Bob got to enjoy the day with the kids and will head for home tomorrow. Julie was honored in her church as "Mother of the Year" and they said some very nice things about her, presented her with a beautiful plaque and flowers, etc. I'm so glad Bob got to be there to hear that!

Then, I got to WebCam with Laurie's family this morning and will WebCam with Julie's family and Bob tonight. That's even better than a phone call!

Mom called from Florida a couple times and it was good to talk to her, too. I can't wait for her to read this blog!

The biggest surprise, though, was that my nephew Steven brought lunch and a card over for me and stayed to visit quite a while bcause he knew I was going to be alone on Mother's Day! Isn't that so sweet?

What a happy day!