"Great is thy power!"

                            "The devil never reckons a man to be lost so long as he has a good mother alive.
                                                            O woman, great is thy power!"                     
                                                                      -  Charles Spurgeon

Being a mother is not always easy.  There is no profession in the world that requires more work and greater sacrifice than motherhood on a day-by-day basis.  This love requires deep demands.  Deep demands to care for a child spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  Here’s the picture that Titus 2 gives us in regards to motherhood:  no woman is capable of the kind of love described in this passage, apart from the gospel and the grace of God in them.  It is the grace of God in them that enables them to be the mother that God has designed them to be.  It is ALL based on grace.  It requires deep demands that send them to God saying, “God I need your grace to do this!” 

Apart from God’s grace my mother, Becky Woodruff, could not have raised me the way that she did.  She gladly and joyfully sacrificed everything in order to be the mother to my siblings and me that God called her to be.  There is not one time in my life that I can recall my mother not being there for me.  She has encouraged me, loved me, disciplined me, supported me and mothered me through every single up and down and ebb and flow in my life.  And she has done it with such GRACE. 

So today, I celebrate my mother and the grace that God has so clearly lavished upon her to be my mother.  I celebrate the gift of motherhood and I thank her for the constant and continual sacrifices that she has made for me.  I praise God for her constant trust in Him to provide her with the grace to mother me in the way that He designed her to.  And most importantly, I thank her for being so diligent to pass the gospel on to my siblings and me. 

As I finish up my time in Africa, I can only pray that God will bestow the same grace that He has given my mother, to the mothers around me here.  These women have a responsibility that is greater than just caring for their children physically and emotionally.  But they have a responsibility as mothers, to pass the gospel on to the next generation in their children.   If my mother had not been so intentional and obedient to pass that good news on to me I would not be here today.  And I more than likely would not know and trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.   So please join with me today in praising God for all of our mothers and then join with me in asking God to give grace to the mothers in Africa and around the world that do not know Him and trust in Him as their Lord and Savior, to pass the gospel on to their children and grandchildren.  We as Christ followers desire to see the gospel passed on by mothers to the next generation!  

Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I love you and am more grateful to you than you will ever know.  And to all of the mothers out there... today, we celebrate you and your efforts, your commitments, your sacrifices and your obedience to obey God's design and purpose for you as mothers!  Thank you.

Just a few "shout-outs".... Happy Mother's Day to my two amazing Grandmothers, my sister Caroline, my cousin Caca, my future mother-in-law Sandy, my friends and mentors Elizabeth and Kari, and all of my mother's friends (you know who you are) who have not only raised your own children but have also played such a positive role in my life as you have loved me, encouraged me and supported me over the years.  May God pour out His blessings upon you for your obedience to Him!  Thank you for all that you have been and are to me.  I love you.