Written and added to this series in December 2010 (three Christmases ago); shortly after Mom met Jesus!
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Excerpts from Proverbs 31
She was born into a very poor family in southern New Jersey, far from the Middle East where the other women in this series were born. Her birth came during the Great Depression; the fifth child of a husband and wife who struggled to make a life for their children; three more were to come later. Her childhood was one of love and hard work; side by side with her father who died, with little warning, when she was only fourteen. Shortly thereafter, she left school to help care for her younger siblings while her mother worked. At seventeen, she met the man of her dreams and the rest, as they say, is history!
She surrendered her life to the Lord very early in her marriage; my relationship with her began slightly before her salvation. Yet, I have never known her without the glow of the Lord’s love on her face or from her life. I was born when she was only eighteen; five more children were born before she was thirty. Obviously, I’m writing about my Mom … the only perfect mother in the world for me. She is not perfect and she didn’t live a perfect life; but what an example of a woman of God she was!
I aspire to be one-half as respected, loved, and cherished as my Mom … not only by my children and grandchildren but by those around me. Even while she faced tests and treatment for breast cancer; she showed incredible courage, strength, and peace in the comfort of God. I’ve pulled just a few verses from the virtuous woman passage that remind me of my Mom; rising before dawn, caring for her husband, helping others, working hard, and sharing wisdom. In the eyes of the world, my Mom was simply a senior Caucasian woman living in a rural area of a blue collar state but in the eyes of her family and friends, my Mom was a treasure of great worth … without a doubt, I can state that my Mom was a valued princess in the eyes of God.
You might be thinking … nice story, sweet lady, but aren’t you being just a little self-serving by including your mother in a series describing chosen women of God? To which I would answer … maybe, but I don’t think so. You see, we all have been chosen by God to be part of His story; the sacrifice of His Son, His unfailing love, His forgiven of our sins to reconcile us to Himself! We all have a story, just waiting to be written … you may not be someone’s wife, someone’s mother, or someone’s sibling but if you know the Lord; you are a child of God! You are loved, you are valuable, and you are blessed so you can be a blessing to others!
Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what You want me to,
No empty words and no white lies, No token prayers, no compromise.
I wanna shine the light You gave, Thru Your Son You sent to save us;
From ourselves and our despair, It comforts me to know You’re really there.
I wanna die and let You give Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me, the love that set me free.
I wanna tell the world out there You’re not some fable or fairy tale,
That I’ve made up inside my head; You’re God the Son and You’ve risen from the dead!
Words and music by Keith Green
Unless noted, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Hugs +/or ChIPS ©3/05 Eleanor J. Gale
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