Mother's Day, 2011

It's Mother's Day here, and I would be remiss if I didn't write a word about my mother. I've mentioned her before, but she deserves far more than "honorable mention". The problem, of course, is that I don't know how to give her proper credit ... because she deserves so much credit.

Now, to be fair to my mother, she would likely disagree. The person that she is has been shaped by her relationship with Christ. Her delight is in the Lord. Her deepest desire is to spend time with Him. Whether she is reading the Word or teaching other women or sharing with family and friends or whatever she does, she seeks to do all for the glory of God. The work of Christ in her life -- evident to anyone who knows her -- would be the that which should be credited. If she has anything about which to boast, let it be the cross of Christ. I'm sure that would be her position.

Here's the thing, though. When you run into someone who so loves the Lord that they allow Him to shape their thoughts, their actions, their lives, their entire reality, you cannot help but be impacted by such a person. So it is with my mother. Whether she is aiming to express to you what God says or simply living the Christian life in front of you, the present example of someone glorifying God on a daily basis cannot go unnoticed and will not be ineffective. Imagine, then, my experience of growing up with that kind of mother and you might begin to see how blessed I've been.

Someone told me the other day that my blogs in April were some of the best I've done for awhile. Want to know a secret? That's largely because of my mother. I had the privilege of spending a couple of weeks with my parents in March and the conversations we enjoyed sparked new life and new thoughts in my writing. You see, my mother encourages me in word and deed to be closer to Christ than ever before. I know of no one with more passion for Him, no one with more focus on Him. And the chance to share in that is motivation itself. What better could be said of any mother than "She makes me want to live closer to Christ"?

Thanks, Mom.