Mother’s Day, oh, yes, we need to make sure we get a card sent to both of our mothers and maybe a phone call if possible. Would I like something . . . ? Something for what? This question from my husband was the first reminder I’d had that this Mother’s Day, I’m now a “mother.” My second reminder came when I was asked by one of our supporting churches to write a little something for them on being a mother in another country. Wow, now it’s really starting to sink in! Not that I didn’t know or realize I was a mother before! Between dirty diapers, piles of laundry, cleaning up spills, rocking him to sleep, feeding him, and playtime, how could I not know!! (My husband would like you to know he does most of this work!). But there’s something special about the first few Mother’s days when you realize you are now at the receiving end!
One of the things mothers don’t need reminders for is to worry. At least for me this comes very naturally!! I worry when my husband doesn’t come home right when he said he would. I worry when I think about going to Africa with a little boy who is starting to be very adventuresome and loves to pick things up off the ground and put them in his mouth (thank goodness for pacifiers, they can be good deterrents for this!). I worry about the snakes, scorpions, and spiders that we will possibly be finding while we’re there!! I thought I worried before I became a mother! And now I know the worrying is only just starting!! But this is where I must STOP! Worrying is not something that is helpful. It doesn’t bring my husband home any earlier, it doesn’t put food on the table any sooner, and it definitely doesn’t my son’s life any easier! And as God so aptly put it, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26).
Recently I’ve been working on memorizing my favorite Bible verse in French, Proverbs 3:5-6. It’s amazing how even though it means the same, somehow when you are translating it, it can take on an even greater meaning to you than it did before. My personal translation of the French comes out like this: “With all of your heart, place (to wear) your confidence in God; do not praise (or applaud) your own intelligence; make known to God all your paths and it is He who will plan your ways.” This verse continues to challenge me to trust God in all things, including my son.
Since being here in Switzerland there has been one time that I felt like God “spoke” to me. One afternoon as Noah was sleeping in my arms on the bus, I noticed a scar that was just lateral to the corner of his left eye. As all boys do, especially when you are learning to walk, Noah has gotten his share of cuts, bumps, and bruises, but this one was less than just a few centimeters from his eye and had been deeper then some of his other cuts. If the table that had caused the scar had been a little closer, there is a good chance he could have injured his eye and we would have needed to go to the Emergency Room. At that moment, when my thoughts were racing and thinking about all the “what if’s,” I felt as though God said to me, “If I can keep him safe now here in Switzerland, how much more will I keep him safe in Togo?!” Does this mean that Noah will live a perfectly happy life and nothing bad will ever happen to him? No, but it does mean that I can and need to trust God, “De tout ton couer . . . .” To trust in the character of God, that He is good, and that He loves my son, even more than I (or any mother) can!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day Lydia! Enjoy!
Dear Lydia, The memories of life lived in the Northern bush country in Ghana have been indelibly impressed in my mind . I know exactly what you’re going through, except that we lived for eight years with no doctor in the village. I leaned very heavily on theRock and the Word. Verses like Matt.10:38b, Isa 32:2, Ps. 18, ps. 66:10-12, to
Name just a few. More than once we knelt by our bed and committed our baby into His hands, not knowing whether they would live. We experienced perfect peace at those times. We don’t have great faith, but faith in a great God. You are exercising that faith in preparing to go to Mango. Hold that darling loosely in your hands held up to God. HE IS GOOD! With love, Arlene
Dear Fred & Lydia,
We have loved hearing about your thoughts and experiences as new missionaries. You have a real gift to capture the lessons of life in your learning!
Thank you Lydia, for your meditations on your first Mother’s Day. This worry problem can keep extending to Grandmothers, too, and I actually just prayed the other day for your Mom and Dad and was thinking about how your Mom might feel very far away from all her “chicks” and Grand-chicks! 🙂 I know the temptation very well, and appreciated your words. Since I have just advanced into the next decade for me, I have been thinking often of the words in Ps. 48:14…”This God is our God forever and ever, and He will be our Guide even to the end.” I found this verse as Jim & I were preparing to get married (soon to be 48yrs ago). I shared it at our wedding and thought how it was a verse that was good for our whole lives. As we get older, it has become even more precious to know that in a sense He is walking along with us, and sometimes taking us by the hand. (See Isa. 41:13)
The verse I wanted to share regarding your sweet Noah is from Matt.18:10. I first became more aware of it when we were visiting dear friends, and in her son’s room, she had a picture of a little boy in his bed, with an angel standing there but looking up to Heaven. I also remember a very old print from my childhood of a little boy and girl crossing a bridge and an angel standing behind them. Now the notes from my Bible say that this doesn’t suggest everyone has a Guardian Angel over them, but these angels are pictured “always” watching the face of God so as to hear His command to them.
We are so blessed whether young or old, to know the loving care of our Heavenly Father. Keep up the good work and thanks for being in touch.
Sending our love,
Becky for us both
Becky,
Thanks so much for your encouragement! His words are often “as sweet as honey!” Thanks also for yours and the prayers from the church there! Sometimes just knowing that there are people continually praying for you can be a huge blessing!!
Happy (late) Mother’s Day!
God bless,
Lydia
well said! hope you had a happy mothers day. miss you much. praying for you lots!
Thanks so much girl! Happy Mother’s day to you too!! Miss you!