99

 September 20, 2021

Today would have been my mother’s 99th birthday. A mere two weeks before, she Walked for Life, raising money for the pro-life Options Pregnancy Care Center our daughter oversees. Just a little over a month later, she died. We were fortunate to have been able to be with her throughout the summer and for her final days. Due to fears of COVID, the government had shut down care facilities, all but forbidding families to visit their loved ones. Over the past year I listened to countless heartbreaking stories of people who were forbidden from being by the bedside of a dying loved one, or having to stand outside a window in the snow, waving but unable to speak.

My brother, sister, and myself were blessed to have her for so many years, and to have had a godly mother who was willing to put up with my disgruntled sulking when she insisted we attend a Bible-believing church. Were it not for her persistence, I would never have come to Christ, never have become a pastor, never had the life I’ve been privileged to live. She and dad were not great teachers if by that you mean sitting us down and giving us life lessons. Theirs was a life of faith taught by example. For example…

Once upon a time (no, this isn’t a fairy tale), I had made plans with a friend. I cannot remember what it was, but about a week after these plans had been made, an opportunity came my way for something much more exciting and enjoyable. I was ready to call my friend to cancel our plans when mom found out about it. “Absolutely not!” was her response. “You stick to your original commitment even if something better comes along.” This advice has made decision-making much simpler. There is no need to revisit or second-guess decisions when you operate on such a principle. This advice even came in handy just last week.

At the end of July, we bought a 2018 Prius. We had looked for a 2021 because of the government incentives offered with them, but there wasn’t a 2021 to be found anywhere. This 2018 however, had been a lease vehicle and only had 11,000 miles on the odometer. It looked like it had just come out of the showroom. It happened to be their top of the line model, with (drum roll, please!) a heated steering wheel! For someone whose hands are always cold, this made Linda very happy even though she was a bit intimidated by all the computer-driven stuff. On top of that, it was blue.

About two weeks ago, the salesman we had dealt with called up to tell us he had a brand new Prius that he thought with the incentives we might be able to get into with money back. It was next-to top of the line, and didn’t have the heated steering wheel. Besides, it was white, which is the one color Linda didn’t want. To be polite, I told the salesman I would look at it. It was nice, but we had made our decision, and I told him that even though it made good financial sense, we were going to stick to our original decision. Mom’s advice came through again!

We live in a world where people break promises without a second thought. Wedding vows fly out the window at the first disagreement or the first time a pretty girl walks by, business arrangements that used to be settled with a handshake are now so convoluted by legalese that it is often a simple matter for a clever lawyer to break a contract. Our government lies so often and so casually that few take their words seriously. 

So on this special day, I say, “Thank you, mom, for setting the example and teaching me a life lesson that has simplified things for me and for those who trust in me. You were a living witness to the old hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” when it sings, “Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”