My Mother

Today during service, some of the kids in the children's church sang a special in honor of mother's day. After they were done, the Pastor asked some of the kids to say one word or phrase that described their mothers. The comments ranged from "Superwoman" to "Awesome extra nice" to "Fashion Model" to.... "She sleeps all day." You can only imagine what kind of response that got from the church. My heart went out to that poor mother- and to that little boy too! But in the midst of all these comments, one little girl raised her hand and said "She is part of God."

I think that is the most beautiful way I have ever heard a mother described.

Today I celebrate my mother, even if from very far away. As I have grown older, my love and appreciation for her has deepened so much. I can't be with her in person today, so I want to write about what I think of her.

My mother is strong.

I have watched her go through a lot of hard things growing up. The things that she has had to carry for our family and our church has been incredible. Her steadfastness through shaky situations has been such an inspiration to me. She is one of the reasons that I keep going- she has shown me it's possible.

My mother is wise.

Any person who has received advice from my mother in any way will agree to this. Her insight and understanding of leadership, relationships, and just life in general is so profound. Now that I am on my own in the States, I have come to appreciate her words of council so much more. They Holy Spirit lives in and speaks through her.

My mother is a leader.

This has blessed me so much because she has shown me what it looks like to be a great leader. I have a dominant personality that always wants to take control. My mom continues to show me how to lead, but also how to listen. She helps me find the balance, but she's also helped me know that it's ok to be the way I am.

My mother is honest.

This is probably my favorite thing about my mom. She is to the point, and doesn't beat around the bush. If you need to be corrected, she is going to correct you. Yet her heart is so loving I always feel secure after she has corrected me. I know that she does it out of her care and love for me. She will tell you how it is! And I love it! The world needs people who are blunt, honest, real, and yet loving and with a good sense of humor (Have I mentioned that in all of these amazing qualities, my mother has a great sense of humor??). She gives me courage to stand up and say what needs to be said, and do what needs to be done.

My mother is a hard worker.

My mother has spent hundreds of hours poring over her Insight notes, studying, reading, and writing. When she and my dad came to Kenya, she would work hard cleaning, cooking, homeschooling my sisters, plus all of the responsibilities of being a pastor's wife. Now, we kids have had to force her to stay home while we go and clean the church building. Sometimes she will still sneak in though :)... Both of my parents are so awesome in that when they see something small that needs to be cleaned in the building, they will rarely ask someone else to do it. They will just find some paper towels somewhere and do it themselves. Humility is one of their greatest character qualities.

One of the best things about my mom is that she's never put on a false face of perfection. Neither of my parents have. I see their weaknesses, but oh, how much I admire their many strengths! Mom, today I wish I could be there to throw my arms around your neck and kiss your cheek. I wish I could sit and give you a foot massage. I wish I could make you a hand-made card and pick flowers for you from our neighbor's driveway. I miss being able to lay in your lap, even if it is just for a few minutes because then I get too heavy :). I wish I could tell you in person how much you mean to me. Just know that you are my greatest example of what a woman of God should be like. You're not perfect, but you have set the standards high. I have messed up. A lot. I have disappointed you. A lot. Yet I know that you believe in me. I know that I can always call you and you will pray for me without me asking. That has meant so much to me in the past few months. We have had our arguments, we have had out tear filled talks- some were tears of hurt, and others were tears of that wonderful"it's going to be ok" feeling-, we have had our "buddy times" when I felt alone and out of place. We have had hard conversations. Awkward conversations that I can now laugh about. We have had conversations where I was just rambling on and on about something biological and you were just sitting patiently waiting for me to finish. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. And I am so glad that we get to have more of those- yes, even the hard ones.

I love you, Mom. You really are a part of God.