Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Missing Mom

Mother’s Day is next Sunday. The floral department at the grocery store I frequent is already filling with balloons, cards, and flowers for the occasion. No matter how prepared I think I am to face the cheerful display, the knowledge that I won’t be buying anything for Mom makes sadness well up as I pass by on my way to the bread aisle. You see, this will be my sixth Mother’s Day without her since she went to be with the Lord a few days before the holiday in 2021.

I was blessed to have a godly mother who was my best friend, life-long cheerleader, and prayer warrior. There are numerous adjectives I could use to describe Mom – petite, patient, kind, loving, giving – but the one that tops them all is selfless. Whenever I read the passage above from Philippians 2, I think of Mom.

A Servant Heart

When my husband died suddenly at the age of 39, leaving me with two young daughters to raise on my own, Mom and Dad graciously moved from North Carolina to a house two miles from mine in Georgia. Though Dad sometimes lamented the loss of what he thought their retirement years would be like, Mom never did. She wholeheartedly came alongside me to help raise Mary and Jessie. There was no, “Look at me! Aren’t I great for making this sacrifice?” Instead, when I would thank her and tell her that I didn’t know how I would have made it without her, she would reply, “I couldn’t have stood it if we’d stayed in North Carolina, knowing you and the girls were here by yourselves.”

Thus, my daughters and I, and years later my grandchildren, were blessed by her loving care and presence. A few examples:

• When my daughters were tiny and spent the night with my parents, they would sometimes become fretful or afraid. Mom would comfort them, then lie down by their crib until she was sure they’d fallen back asleep.
• When I was working full-time and traveling, Mom would occasionally clean my house so I could relax on the weekends. When my daughters were old enough, she enlisted their help during the summer, teaching them the importance of helping others.
• Mom prepared countless homemade meals, not to mention pound cakes and cookies that she shared with friends, doctors, and service folks, including appliance repair techs, mechanics who worked on my parents’ cars, and emergency responders who worked to restore power in their neighborhood after Hurricane Hugo blew through Charlotte.
• Whenever Mom shared something – fresh fruits and vegetables from the produce stand she and Dad frequented, fragrant flowers from her gardenia bush – she chose the best for the recipient rather than for herself.
• Each time Mom accompanied me to spend the day with my grandchildren, she made sure to have a small surprise for them, ranging from stickers and coloring pages to a sweet or salty treat.

A Humble Heart

Mom had no aspirations of greatness. During her long career as a bank teller, she had opportunities to become a manager, but she was content to remain at the counter serving customers, some of whom would wait in her line even when other tellers were available.

Similarly, Mom was satisfied to serve at home, out of the spotlight, cheering her family on in their endeavors.

Ironically, “Eulogy for a Godly Mother”[1] is my most widely read post by far. I don’t know how much of the post people read, but I hope they read at least a few of “Mom’s Mottos” and decide to put some of them into practice. I smile, thinking about how much Mom’s influence may have spread through that article.

Our Savior’s Heart

After the Apostle Paul instructs his Philippian readers to put others’ interests before their own, he goes on to say:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Mom was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. Selfless and generous, she delighted in serving and giving to others. I think of her whenever I read Philippians 2:3-8. Mom humbly put others’ interests before her own. Though she never would have been bold enough to say, “Be imitators of me as I imitate Christ,” as the Apostle Paul did (1 Corinthians 11:1), nor did she hold herself up as a godly role model, she nonetheless set a beautiful example for me to follow.

The best way to honor her memory is to follow her, as she followed Jesus, the One who demonstrated ultimate selflessness. Though I often fall short, one of the greatest compliments anyone can pay me is to say that some aspect of my character resembles Mom’s.

Although Mom didn’t receive many worldly accolades, I know her reward in heaven is great. She stored up much heavenly treasure during her earthly life (Matthew 6:19-21). Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren rise up and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28). I will be forever grateful for the gift of a godly mother.

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[1] https://patsykuipers.com/2021/05/09/eulogy-for-a-godly-mother/