I haven’t posted here in a long time, but today something is gnawing at me and I’m led to write about it.
How many of you still have your moms? I had mine for forty-six years before she went to be with the Lord. I didn’t know while I had her how wise she was. I wasn’t paying attention when she set seeds of wisdom in my heart. It took time for those seeds to grow, but they have and I’m forever grateful.
Mom never said anything bad about anyone. I never heard her criticize others. She didn’t swear, was always soft spoken and humble to a fault. She considered herself an introvert, and she was. Everyone who knew her liked her, but I don’t think they ever really knew her. She was friendly but quiet and kept to herself. She loved God. Mom read voraciously (especially the bible), and she spent a lot of time praying for others—especially me. “I’ll pray you through,” was something she often said. She prayed me through my rebellious years until, finally, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. She never pressured or lectured me in that regard. She just prayed me through.
One of Mom’s favorite seeds of wisdom was “dig deep”. If I were critical of someone or something, she’d tell me “dig deep”. Nothing more.
As a young woman, I had no idea what she meant, but as I’ve grown older I understand. I have learned (am still learning) to dig deep.
We live in a time when scripture is misquoted and taken out of context to promote a particular cause or viewpoint. I hear my mother’s voice: “Dig deep.”
We live in a world rife with clashing viewpoints and criticisms. Headlines pull quotes out of context, facts are lost in opinions. As I read and listen, I hear mother’s voice tell me, “Dig deep.”
My mother didn’t have the Internet to rely on to ferret out the facts, but she used the library. She dug deep, careful not to put too much faith into what others said. She believed in getting to the very source, the facts in context. Before she formed an opinion, Mom had one last checkpoint: scripture. She knew her bible. She knew God’s words in the context presented there. Her decision always was to follow what He said as the absolute truth. Mom didn’t often share her opinions, but when she did she had good, solid, God-centered reasons to back them up.
These past several months and especially the past ten days have been rough for all of us. We’re drowning in conflicting information, opinions, pain, and especially anger. If you know me, then you know that it takes a whole lot to make me angry, but this week I got there—and then I heard my mother’s voice: “Dig deep.”
When anger enters our hearts, its goal is to push God out. When anger fills our hearts, it creates a cacophony that shuts God out.
If my mother were alive today, I know what she would tell me.
I can hear her voice:
“Dig deep. If ever there was a time to dig deep, it’s now. Dig deep through the anger and pain until you find the Source of All Truth. Dig deep into scripture to be sure you haven’t misunderstood God’s words. Dig deep into your criticisms and feelings toward others to determine if they are pleasing to God. Dig deep, Jean, Dig deep.”
Thank you, Mom. I hear you. I miss you.
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