Remembering my mom…

My mom died five months before we moved to Thailand. Today is the seventh anniversary of her death… and so I’m in a nostalgic, reminiscent frame of mind. For years she had encouraged me to write… and so here I am, finally aspiring to something she saw in me. This new venture, this blog, is dedicated to her.

I was still processing her death, grieving when we arrived in Chiang Mai. Add to that the already challenging mix of adjusting to a new culture, language, climate and… well, it was hard. Beyond hard. One of the things I became acutely aware of now that she was “finally home” with the Lord was that my biggest cheerleader, the person who always believed in me, encouraged me was no longer audibly rooting for me. Her voice had been silenced, her impact preserved in a treasure trove of memories.

One day, when I was having a particularly rough day, it seemed the Lord was saying,

“Mary, I’m here for you. I’m your biggest fan. I always have been – and I always will be!”

In an intellectual, theological way I KNEW this was true… but now… I guess you could say I was experientially learning what God had been communicating all along in His Word:

“I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen My grip on your life!” Hebrews 13:5b (TPT)

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Isaiah 49:16 (ESV)

“I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31:3 (AMP)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 (NIV)

In a very real sense, ALL of us need to be reminded that God is rooting for us and wants to see us grow and prosper. No matter what time of day or night, HIS voice is ready and eager to reassure us of His love, His faithfulness, His commitment to us, His ability to make possible those things we deem impossible.

You know what’s interesting, though? Even though I no longer “hear” my mom’s voice of encouragement, God often uses others to speak His message of hope and healing to my heart. Be that someone this week for someone else… and together, we’ll have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life.”