To commemorate Mother’s Day, each Morning Devotional for the month of May will highlight an important lesson of faith learned from a mother or a mother-like figure. We continue today with Danielle and her mother.
If I had to choose the essence of what I have learned from my mother, it is this: love God and love others. I was going to start with the latter, but I guess it only makes sense to begin with her love for God, especially since it is out of that love and devotion that her love for all else flows. As a child, my mother was half the reason I wanted to know Christ for myself (my father being the other half.)
In church, she leads worship as choir director and has always done so with palpable joy, a joy that I have always admired and that is infectious, moving us all to worship with her same joy and fervor. Anyone that has met my mom can attest to her bright and infectious energy and the spirit of God that dwells in her. She, as Romans 12:9 instructs us to, loves sincerely, abhors that which is evil and clings to what is good. She is the living embodiment of Philippians 4:4, “rejoice always and again, I say, rejoice,” and takes every opportunity to rejoice in the Lord whether that be through worship at church or at home, through the reading of His Word, through taking in of the Sun, moon and stars, through fellowshipping with His people and even through the trials of life, when she was wrongfully terminated and unemployed for seven years unable to plead her case, she rejoiced in the Lord, traced the hand of God and joyfully anticipated how He would deliver and prosper her (Jeremiah 29:11) as He promised He would. The joy of the Lord truly is her strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Her love for God enables her to live joyfully, to rejoice in all things and to praise Him in all things and I think that’s something we can all grow in our ability to do. We don’t realize it but we can choose joy, it is within our reach and it isn’t always about changing our circumstance, but rather praising God irrespective of what is in our midst and always looking to the hills from whence cometh our help, our help which cometh from the Lord who created heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:1-2).
It is also because of her love of God that she loves others. If someone is having a bad day, she is there with a scripture and a balloon. If someone is feeling unworthy, she is there with a scripture and a hug. If someone is in need, she will give of herself, even if it’s her last, to assist them. If someone is celebrating, she celebrates with them. If she enters a room, she greets everyone with a hearty hello. When someone has done something for her, big or small, she thanks them, always wishing for them that God bless them in the same way that she has been a blessing to them. She’ll often say, “as the Clarke sisters sing, may the Lord God bless you real good.” My mother has taught me what it truly means to love and how our relationship with God sets the tone for all other relationships that we have. When we love God truly, it is not hard to love others. When we love God truly, who is the greatest giver, it is not hard to give to others. When we love God truly who extends to us great mercy, it is not hard to extend grace to others. When we love God truly, it is not hard to, like Him, be no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
We, as believers, have a greater inclination to love because we know what we have been delivered from. We know what has been done for us and we have the privilege and blessing of being loved, known and seen by the Creator and dispenser of life and life eternal. How could we not love Him or one another? How could we not pursue hospitality (Romans 12:10) and count it all joy when we fall into divers temptation (James 1:2-3) ? The way we love and serve God and love and serve one another is our witness to the world, is what sets us apart from a world that encourages us to love only who loves us and to prioritize ourselves above all else. Let us never miss an opportunity to weep or rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15) or to put God in His proper perspective and rejoice in all things. Let us live in such a manner that our presence in rooms shifts the atmosphere and illuminates to others that God is real and He lives in us!
