The Most Influential Person

in my relationship with Jesus

My mom’s 83rd birthday is a month away and I want to dedicate this post to her.

As I think back over my life, I can honestly say that my mom has influenced my relationship with Jesus the most. She was the one who prayed for my salvation after becoming a Believer herself in her mid 40s.

At that time in life, mom was an “A” tennis player (the rankings are probably different now), but that was the highest ranking. However, after mom became a Christian, she quit playing tennis because it was an idol to her. Mom has always been very serious about her Christian faith.

Mom’s Background

Mom was born in much simpler times in a tiny town called Jamestown, OH and grew up on a farm. Her dad, my grandfather, was a farmer. His livestock included pigs and cows and he was a very hard worker! Mom had one younger sister and two older brothers. There was no central AC or heat in their farmhouse, so mom and her siblings warmed themselves by the black iron stove on chilly winter mornings.

Chickens also inhabited the farm, including an old banty rooster (a miniature or smaller version of a regular rooster) who was mean and enjoyed terrorizing people. Just for fun, one day mom’s sister (Bev) locked her in the barn with the old rooster and he came at her, but thankfully mom was able to escape before he claimed a large chunk of her skin.

Mom’s parents (my grandparents) eventually bought the farm behind them in Xenia, Ohio where the big tornado hit on my birthday in 1973 and that’s where they lived out their days. I remember spending many happy childhood days there, visiting my grandparents and other relatives and playing with my cousins. I would often spend entire summers there.

Mom was a dark-haired beauty in her younger years and was homecoming queen her senior year in high school. I’m sure she was much sought after by the males in her school. Dad was a basketball player and mom was a cheerleader and that’s how they met. He always teased her that she spent more time combing her hair on the sidelines than cheering. Mom stood dad up on their first date, but evidently that didn’t stop him from asking her out again because the rest, as they say, is history. They were married in 1962.

Mom’s Education

Mom never went to college, but she knew more about the Bible than my professors at Southeastern Bible College. Whenever I asked her a question about the Bible, she always knew the answer. She taught me about the Sovereignty of God over all things, the Five Points of Calvinism, God’s goodness, faithfulness, mercy and love.

Mom always has a stack of godly books and commentaries that she’s reading and likes to recommend to others, but her favorite book is the Bible. When I was younger, she would often take a heavy stack of books on our family vacations. I wondered how she was going to read all those books.

Mom often played a cassette tape by Judy Roger’s called “Why Can’t I See God”: 20 Songs That Answer Children’s Questions about God, the Bible and Christian Living put to music for us to listen to when we were growing up. I remember hearing one of the children sing “Why can’t I see God? Is He really there?” I loved hearing the children sing songs about God and still have this cassette. She also made us memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism and recite it at church.

Church Attendance is Not An Option

Mom was very strict about church attendance, always taking us to church whenever the doors opened. I was in high school at that time and the first church we attended was a PCA church in B’ham, Alabama. The church was ten minutes or so down the road from our home. Mom required us to attend Sunday School, church, evening worship, Wednesday nights and youth group. As long as we lived at home, church attendance was not an option. Now I’m thankful we weren’t given a choice because my brother and I would have found plenty of other activities to do.

Mom’s Service for Christ

The Bible is clear that good works don’t get us into Heaven, but we do good works for Christ out of thankfulness for what He’s done for us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

After becoming a Christian, for several years I remember Mom making gospel worms for a children’s ministry in Atlanta that they used for child evangelism. I still have a gospel worm and the colorful book that went with it.

In Birmingham, Alabama my mom and another Christian lady regularly cleaned the apartment of an older godly woman in our church who lived to be 100. Her name was Mrs. Forrester. We had her over for lunch occasionally after church on Sundays.

After we moved to NC, mom was a volunteer on Critical Care for several years at our local hospital and was a great comfort to the families of those hospitalized and in serious condition. She also was president of the hospital’s ladies auxiliary for one year. Mom is currently a member of an OPC church in Gastonia and works hard making welcome bags for visitors and helping with the card ministry.

Mom and I going to a Fall Ladies Kick-off at a nearby church in September 2024:

Ongoing Trials and Health Issues

Unfortunately being godly doesn’t mean escaping the many trials of life in a fallen world. Ask Job.

“Man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).

Mom has experienced many difficult trials throughout her lifetime. She could write a book about them. Some of them involved her children, her husband, her family, the church and her health. At age 50, she was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, a chronic lung disease that causes wheezing in the lung area. Since there’s no cure, she’s had to learn to manage it through the years. She has to stay inside when it’s hot in the summer because it affects her breathing.

Mom catches viruses easily and has had a lot of sicknesses in her older years too, including pneumonia three times. At times I wondered if she was on her death bed because she was so ill, but God mercifully healed her in answer to prayer. Sometimes it has taken months for her to get well, but I thank God that she’s still here with us.

In 2008, mom received a more serious diagnosis of Stage III colon cancer and received chemotherapy for a year. She had to wear a wig because her hair fell out. It was hard on her, but God mercifully brought her through it and there’s been no recurrence of cancer PTL!

What Mom Taught Me

The Lord gave me a wonderful gift in giving me my mother! By observing her, I learned how to rest in God’s Sovereignty and good plan for our lives and submit to His will. During times of rebellion, mom told me it would go bad for me if I didn’t submit to God. I learned to trust and obey Him and not question His decrees.

Mom gave me a foundation for knowing God’s character and purposes at a young age. Through the years, she’s been a wonderful godly example to me by exhibiting joy, peace and contentment in the Lord even when she doesn’t like her circumstances.

One of the ladies in her church said this about her:

“We love your mom and are so encouraged by her! She is a fine example of a godly woman and prayer warrior. It is a delight to help her.”

Mom taught me a lot about submission too. When my dad was alive, she always deferred to him in making important decisions. She showed dad a lot of respect in this way.

As James, the brother of Jesus, instructs us to do if we are Believers, she taught me about controlling the tongue (James 3). God has brought her a long way in taming her tongue and the Holy Spirit is able to help each of us in this area if we ask Him to (Ps. 141:3). This includes not complaining during sickness and other trials, something I still need much grace to overcome (Phil. 2:14).

When Mom Goes Home

These earthly tents aren’t going to last forever because of the Fall (2 Cor. 5:1). I know the remainder of mom’s time on earth is limited and I will miss mom greatly when the Lord calls her Home. I pray she lives to be 100, but our times are in His Hands (Ps. 31:15). When she meets her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I have no doubt she will hear the words all Believers hope to hear, “Well done, Thou good and faithful servant!”

I will always be thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful mom, for her love for God and raising me to love Jesus and walk with Him. Those gifts are priceless and of far more value than anything this world can offer.