39 years ago, she would have never envisioned her life as it is today….
She was married to a man who wasn’t in love with her. He was hardly home and wasn’t an active husband or father. Her hopes of having a family man had vanished a long time ago. She didn’t work outside the home, didn’t even drive, and yet she just knew she needed a way out for her and her 4 kids, ages 10, 8, 4 and just under 2. She was seeking a new life and wanted nothing to do with my dad. Just 5 days earlier, they had gone to church and he had told her of the decision he had made to give his life to God. She had seen the change in him the last few days. But she just couldn’t believe it was real and that it was permanent. She felt like it was a desperate attempt to keep her and the kids at home a little longer. No matter what change he thought he had experienced, she was still determined to leave him.
With all the stress of her situation, she had developed a golf-ball size ball of nerves on her neck. It was very painful and wouldn’t go away. She was experiencing anxiety and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The church that they went to the week before had a prayer meeting on Monday evenings. So that evening, my dad convinced her to at least go to the prayer meeting because of the pain she was feeling.
Well that night turned into the most powerful night of her life. That night, she just laid it all out for God. She surrendered her life to Him and asked Him to change her life and her situation. There was an immediate physical transformation, as she no longer had the ball at her neck. It was completely gone! She felt the peace and the joy that my dad experienced just 5 days before. Her life changed dramatically in just a matter of days. I still remember my parents pouring out all the alcohol bottles in the house. Our house suddenly became a home full of love and full of God. We had numerous faith-based pictures in our home after that. Every room had some type of symbol of our newfound faith and relationship with God.
We often joke around about the saying “Be careful what you wish for” because God did such a big transformation in my dad’s life that now he was all about telling people of his life change. He would talk to anyone who would listen. He is now a pastor, and we tend to focus on him so much because of how enormous of a change that took place in his life. But ultimately, my mom was the strong one. She put up with him for 15 years and raised us 4 kids practically by herself before that day. And once he became a Christian, my mom has always been his backbone. She has been the spiritual mom to so many people. She has opened their home and cooked for tons of people. She has always made people feel loved. She has a magical hug that just brings instant comfort and peace. I am so blessed to have the mother that I have. She is such a unique person with a loving spirit. I thank God for changing her heart and for her giving my dad another chance. I think she would agree that it was worth it!
She is the protector of our family as well, and she will defend any one of her children and grandchildren. She has grown a thick skin to endure the heartaches of being a pastor’s wife, and she has had to display humility and dignity, even in the most difficult and hurtful situations. She has carried the burdens that are too much to share publicly, and she has wept tears when people have hurt her husband, children and grandchildren. She has remained strong and a faithful servant to God, and she is definitely the Wind Beneath Our Wings.
FindJoy 