Happy Wednesday, church family!

I have a distinct memory from childhood of my mom standing barefoot in my doorway, saying goodnight to me. In the middle of her words, she exclaimed “I can feel the carpet!” As weird as that may sound, it wasn’t an unusual comment for her to make- she had multiple sclerosis. Because she approached her disease with contentment rather than resentment or anger toward her disease or God, I often forgot that her hands and feet were usually numb. That brief moment of sensation brought her such joy, even knowing it would soon be replaced by the usual numbness.

I can’t hear or read about Job without being reminded of Mom. I get so irritated, sad, frustrated, all the emotions, when a “good person” has a disability, a diagnosis, or something that I don’t think is fair. My mom, as much as she may have frustrated me in certain teenage years, in my mind, didn’t deserve this awful disease. But regardless, she kept positive. She was diagnosed with MS before I was born, and by the time she died when I was 38, I don’t think I heard her complain once. I can’t speak to her prayer life, but in her outward life, she never blamed God, she never cursed him, never turned away from him. Instead, she claimed the phrase “it is what it is”. Mom loved delicious food, and even with a feeding tube “installed”, and the strict direction to eat nothing by mouth, she smiled and shrugged and said it is what it is. 

I will never know why Mom had such an awful, progressive disease that took so much away from her. But I do know this- Jesus was at work her whole life, especially at the end when she was hospitalized more than she was at home. We had nurses, hospital staff, even intake and insurance coordinators come to me later and tell me how Mom affected them. They came to her memorial service, where her love of Jesus was shared, and the Gospel preached. I don’t know what was in their hearts or what happened as a result, but I know that because of who my mom was, what she lived through, and HOW she lived it, people saw Jesus. 

Jesus, thank You for blessing me with Sharon as my mother. Thank You for showing me about who You are through her attitude, her joy, her perspective, that nothing is too big for You. I choose to look at the bleh that life may throw at me as an opportunity to shrug and then lean closer to You. Bless and seal these things in Your name, amen. 

May your week be blessed,

Lisa