Mom's story My version

Mom, a woman both simple and complex at the same time. She loved wildflowers, the color purple, clean spaces, big gaudy jewelry. She loved music, art, writing, her grandchildren. She loved walks, the outdoors, cigarettes and coffee in the morning.   She loved Christmas time, presents, beauty and she could take any space and decorate it into a haven. These are things that are well known about mom. But I know another story that you may or may not know about her.  And I asked her before she died if I could share it with you and she said yes, please do… It’s the story of how she met God, so I am going to share with you who she was before and after she encountered Him.

Growing up I knew a mom who gave everything she had to give. But unfortunately as an alcoholic for 30 years her capacity was limited. As a child I longed for God as she longed for god. So she taught me about witches, and tarot cards, fairies and stones that had power.  She taught me how to escape the present life and either in our mind or in drunkenness escape to a place that was less painful, less abrasive, to a place where all was seemingly right, and purpose and life were seemingly found.  Unfortunately alcohol, highs, and make believe worlds all fade away. And day after day she woke up to the reality of the world she was really living in.

In the year of 2002 mom woke up…  she walked into her living room and she saw an image of Jesus Christ on the Cross out side of her window. At that moment she knew her life would forever be changed. And thought she didn’t understand the gospel at that time, she felt an inner strength and she knew her life would never be the same.  She would never drink again.  In a moment she overcame the biggest addiction of her entire life and until the day that she died she never drank again.  In the days to follow this image she was given a bible.  And through reading the psalms she found strength – enough strength to embark on a new journey and a new life. She moved away and started over.

Instead of trying to get away from the human race, in her last days she longed to help and inspire people. Even in the nursing home she would reach over and comfort the ladies beside her.

Instead of trying to escape pain by running away or drinking, she was learning to endure pain with the strength of God. Even so much so that when she was sitting in the nursing home fading in and out of reality she asked us to read the bible to her… because she knew that the Word of God gave her strength.

Instead of making her self like a God she surrendered her self to the one and only God, whom by the way she said was in-fact the most powerful God, because she had known many.

There are many more things I could say… and I am in no way saying that her last days were in some way perfect or that she lived a completely pristine life after knowing Jesus. But I do know that God came to her…. Someone considered lowly in the eyes of the world, maybe invaluable, or undesired and he gave her new life because he LOVED her. And he Saved her and he Rescued her not because she deserved it, or because any of us deserve it, but because of his sacrifice on the Cross. And now because she has accepted that Sacrifice she gets to reside in that world she always longed for. And in heaven she is rejoicing. She no longer has pain or the struggles of this earth. She is home at last.