My mom is probably the quietest person you will ever meet. She’s also my hero. She taught me how to pray. She taught me how to trust God. She taught me to live with a grateful heart even when the refrigerator only had a half stick of butter, a quarter loaf of bread and a couple of slices of cheese. In her mind, that was just enough for us to share a grilled cheese feast provided by God.
Money was always tight in our home, but she never allowed us to feel sorry for ourselves. She always taught us to be grateful for what we had and reminded us that it was much more than what most had around the world. My mom taught me how to live by faith.
I’m 34 years old now, and my mom is still teaching me lessons. She is in town this week (from Michigan) and as I was reading the Bible in the dining room, she asked if she could share something with me. Seeing as how she’s about as quiet as a librarian, I immediately welcomed whatever she was about to say.
“Honey, I’ve been praying for you. I know that you’re working with people and that you need a lot of wisdom. As I’ve been praying for you, I’ve been thinking about the way the Bible described King David in Psalms 78:72. Can I read it to you?” The answer, of course, was an overwhelming, “Yes.”
~ Psalm 78:70-72 ~
He chose David to be his servant and took him from the sheep pens.
He brought him from tending the sheep so he could lead the flock,
the people of Jacob, his own people, the people of Israel. And David led them
with an innocent heart and guided them with skillful hands.
My mom proceeded, “God has called you, honey. And he called you to lead with an innocent heart and to guide people with skillful hands. That’s my prayer for you.”
I was overwhelmed by the love, care, insightfulness and encouragement in her words. As always, she quietly walked away, never even suspecting that she’d end up being the inspiration of a blog post.
When working with people, there will always be opportunities to learn and grow. I pray that as I continue to learn and grow as a leader, that I would live with an innocent heart. That my motives would be pure and that I would encourage & challenge others with a heart to see them grow and become more like Jesus.
I pray that I would have skillful hands and that I would ask God for wisdom to continue to learn and grow in the things that he’s called me to do every day. Every new task, challenge or project is another opportunity to learn or improve my skill as a leader. This is true for your life, as well.
A couple of thoughts for you today:
1. God called David to live with an innocent heart and to guide others with skillful hands. The same heart that God has for David is the same heart that God has for you. How can you live with an innocent heart and skillful hands today? (Make sure you ask for God’s help in this.)
2. The power of encouragement. My mom changed the trajectory of my day by simple encouraging words. Who can you encourage with God-inspired words of love, care and insightfulness?
3. The power of prayer. I will never know the full impact of my mother’s prayers for me. But I do know that when no one is looking, my mom has been praying. Who are you praying for on a regular basis?
I’m grateful for my mom. And I can’t wait to see her blush a bit when she reads this post. She may be the one of the quietest people I know, but I can guarantee you that she is heard by God on a regular basis.
Thanks for being my most consistent blog-reader, mom. I always know that there’s at least one person that will read everything I write. Your investment into my life will never be able to be measured. I love you, appreciate you and will aim to live my life in a way that will make you proud.
