I recently returned from spending a few days in Michigan with my mom. She celebrated her 89th birthday while I was there. Mom has an apartment in a retirement community. She does pretty well for her age but has reached the point where she does depend a lot on others. Much of the responsibility falls on my brother who lives fifteen minutes from her but when I am there I find myself in the position of parenting my mom. She did have her "to do" list and we spent one whole day running errands. I discovered one evening that mom is still capable of teaching me a few things when it comes to faith.
My dad has been dead over five years but I know she still misses him. She confessed one time that she still cries at night when she gets in bed. But mom is a person who lives with the hope of eternal life. I was reminded of that on my first night there. I was relaxing in bed with a book when I heard her singing loud and clear in the next room. "Abide with me, fast falls the even-tide. The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide." I put my book aside and listened. How could such a quiverring voice convey such strength and conviction. Suddenly I was the one with tears in my eyes. "Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes. Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee. In life, in death, O Lord abide with me."
Suddenly I was the child again and my mother was singing me a lullaby. Her message was loud and clear. She is a person of faith in Jesus Christ. She lives in the hope of a joyful reunion in heaven. What a legacy she is passing on!
We will always be parents to our kids. Our role and influence might change, but our duty, as conveyors of the faith, is unchanging. How will you communicate today the hope that you personally have in Jesus? How will your child see Jesus and the hope he brings, in your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment