I’m so grateful for my mom and her care for me and our family. She gave up a nursing career to stay home and raise us 5 kids. Whenever she made chili, she would set aside a portion for me before adding the dreaded kidney beans (I was spoiled). She made birthdays and holidays special growing up. She loved me enough to discipline me (I’ll never forget her chasing me with a wooden spoon around the kitchen table!). I love her sense of humor and her love for the Lord, but what I admire most is Mom’s compassion. It touched me to see Mom cry with those in mourning. She didn’t have to say a word, she was just there. Even in the hardest of moments – when my cousin committed suicide – Mom was right there offering comfort and compassion to her brother and his family.
Compassion was never one of my strong suites. While in ministry in Rosemount, people would joke about how little compassion I had toward others. I decided to start praying for compassion. I forgot about it for awhile until I was watching a commercial about an airline mechanic. Whenever he was feeling like his job didn’t matter, he would walk through the terminal. There he saw a little girl waiting to get on a plane and he knew his work was vital. I had tears in my eyes! God was softening my heart, making me more compassionate, more like Mom.
I’m no where near my mother in the compassion department, but her life taught me that it is godly to “rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).