“A woman of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Proverbs 31:10
One of the things I liked about my husband’s sermons were the stories he told. For Terry, a message wasn’t complete unless he made the congregation laugh or cry. There are many examples of godly women and mothers in the Bible who left an amazing legacy. When he talked about his own mother, he wrote, (tongue in cheek):
Here are a few lessons my mother taught me:
- My mother taught me religion – “You better PRAY that will come out of the carpet!”
- She taught me about osmosis – “Shut your mouth and eat your supper!”
- Contortionism – “Will you LOOK at the dirt on the back of your neck!”
- Weather – “This room looks like a tornado struck it!”
- Roots – “Shut that door behind you. Were you born in a barn?” (Can you relate?)
Solomon knew how to determine who the real mother was! The one who would sacrifice her own happiness to save the life of her child! Abraham Lincoln said: “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my darling mother.”
In our lifetime, two mothers stand out, Marg Saint and Elizabeth Elliot. Both of their husbands were among the missionaries killed by the Aucas, Jim Elliot and Nate Saint. Elizabeth took her 2-year-old daughter Valerie to live among the tribe that killed her husband Jim. As a result, the whole tribe converted to Christ. Marg was left with three children: Kathy 10, Stevie 8 and Philip 4. The following is a letter she wrote to her children.
“My darling children,
The story of your father’s life has now been written. A few years ago, there would have been no need to write these things, but there came a day when I had to tell you our Daddy wasn’t coming back to live with us—he had gone with four of his friends to live with Jesus in heaven.
You often asked Daddy to tell you about his boyhood. And now, more than before, you want to know everything—the things he told me when you were asleep—how he learned to fly—why we came to Ecuador to live. The story is yours now, recorded here for you and others who may want to read about our “Jungle Pilot.”
“When I look at my children, I think that you little ones are blessed of God, for it may be your privilege to lay down your lives for Christ’s sake. These are terribly hard, yet wonderful days in which to be a witness on the world scene.
You see, what Daddy thought might be God’s plan for YOU, became God’s plan for HIM. For a long time, you children have prayed for the Aucas. Now Auntie Rachel and Auntie Betty are living down in the jungle with the Aucas. Someday, perhaps soon, you may meet some of the men who killed Daddy. Daddy would want you to love them and thank our heavenly Father that our prayers for those Indians are being answered!”
Forty-six years later: Stevie Saint came to Toledo with Steven Curtis Chapman. They appeared on the stage at the Masonic Auditorium with the very man who killed Stevie’s father! That man is now a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! What a legacy! The influence of a mother is powerful! “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her,” Proverbs 31:28.
Your friend, Jean