Who Led You to the Lord?
Who Led You to the Lord? Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Patricia Belcher Eastwood John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Who led me to the Lord? By Patricia Eastwood
I have been blessed to have had many wonderful examples of faith in my life. But, one person rises above the rest - my mom. She taught me by example how to live the commandment “love one another” every day of my life growing up just by how she dealt with difficult people and people who indulged themselves with bad behavior at the expense of her happy day. Some of those people were people we loved and some were neighbors or strangers. It did not matter. I never saw my mother not try to understand the other person’s pain, difficulties, circumstances- whatever it took to love that person through their situation, especially when they were least love-able. As a young adult, I sometimes asked her why she persisted to love some people who did not act appreciative of her or who disrespected her. I would suggest she cut ties or tell them what she “really thought.” She never lowered herself to a place where she hurt someone else and, when asked by me about it, she owned the intentional restraint she had exercised. She resisted the temptation. Talk about “forbearance” and the “fruit of the spirit.” Wow! I wish I could say I have lived half as well. When I was newly married, happy and settled, I wondered how she could have loved me through the sad times, before I met Larry. The memory of my scowling, joy-stealing behavior as a recent dumpee, while on a post- law school trip to Europe with Mom, still makes me feel ashamed and sad. When I brought it up to her and asked for forgiveness, she replied with her typical understanding acknowledgement of the circumstances that had driven my behavior and said, quite honestly, she did not remember any of “that.” She easily gave me grace and, in doing so, gave herself the gift of an untainted, happy memory. I want to be like her. Quite simply, Mom’s selfless behavior drives me to seek greater spiritual understanding and to cultivate a peace like the one she enjoys.
Other scriptures that come to mind for me when thinking of Mom and the works of “good example” people in our lives are:
Galatians 5:22-23
Romans 5:1
Dear Lord, Thank you for the “good example” people you place in our lives. Please help us to learn from them and to grow our faith because of them. While this prayer is simple and straightforward, so is your instruction. We were placed in this life to love and encourage one another. Please help each of us to live out that mission and to be more like Christ every day. Amen