May Newsletter
May is For Mothers
By Linda Smith
The month of May is for mothers, especially mine, because she was born in May and got married in May - to a man who was born in May. We all think of our mothers on Mother’s Day, and some even think early enough to send a card or arrange a celebration for their mothers.
I am blessed to have a great mother, Ruth Rasmussen. She will be 97 this month and is confined to a wheelchair in a Christian care facility. She was a brilliant teacher, musician, leader, pastor’s wife, and mother of six. She served many other roles, including shepherding God’s flock with my dad at 12 different churches.
Mom was no stranger to change. She put her roots down into God. Only five of the churches that my parents pastored were part of my growing-up years. The other seven pastorates occurred AFTER their retirement. There were churches that needed divine first aid, and Mom and Dad would move to a new location to resuscitate those congregations and love on the people. They also taught God’s Word to pastors and missionaries in Africa.
Mom cooked meals for thousands of dinner guests in our home. She and dad connected with friends and strangers over delicious, healthy meals. Many of their guests received Jesus, encouragement, instruction, and/or even correction with love at our table.
The biggest change to Mom‘s life came in December of 2017, when my Dad suddenly passed away. In the lonely days that followed, Mom kept serving God and other people. She kept attending church, encouraging other people, teaching Bible Study, hosting guests, and visiting the “old people” at InterFaith Care Center.
She was 92 when Dad died, and then she fell several times. Each fall compromised her mobility a little more, and at age 94, SHE became one of the old people at InterFaith Care Center. Although she lives 4 states away from me, I get to virtually visit her on her GrandPad. She is always “fine.” I always want to pray with Mom, and she always wants to hear what God is doing in my life, my kids’ lives, and in The Widows Project. She is following her plan for reading the Bible through in a year, and I’m sure she could beat any of us in a game of Bible Trivia. She knows her Bible, and she knows her God.
I am now a widow too, and Mom is an inspiration to me. Her faith and trust in God inspire me. Mom would rather be in heaven, but she is trusting God for her day of death and has NO FEARS. She says God knows best. That kind of faith is built in each of us too, as we invite God to change us. I would like to be fearless, like Mom. May God’s Word and His Spirit work in us, too, so we do not fear what may come. We are His, now and forever.
I Cannot Imagine! - Devotional
By Mary Beth Woll
After Bob passed away, many sympathetic people remarked, “I cannot imagine what you are going through.” I knew they meant well, but after hearing this so often and from so many people, I began to feel isolated. I already felt dreadfully alone without Bob. After their comments, I felt like I was in an entirely different category of people, one with whom others could not—or chose not—to relate. Inwardly, I cried, “Would you please—even for one moment—try to imagine what I’m going through?” But who wants to imagine such heartbreak if they don’t have to?
I can empathize, because before Bob became ill, he and I never discussed what we would do should one of us die. We were both healthy and strong. We didn’t have to think about that right then, did we? We would look into each other’s eyes, whisper, “I don’t know what I would ever do without you,” change the subject, and hold each other tighter. We just couldn’t imagine…
But after Bob died, I could no longer ignore the glaring realities of widowhood. They left nothing to my imagination. They hit me in the face every day as I learned to accomplish tasks that Bob always did and every night when I climbed into my empty bed. It was painfully real.
I knew that Isaiah 54:5 said that my Maker was my Husband, but God could not hug me or fix my car! Yet, because Jesus was my only hope, I leaned on Him harder than ever before! Even so, I could not possibly imagine how I could begin to experience God’s love in brand new ways.
One night, I was awake around 1:30 AM. I stumbled out to the kitchen, hung onto the edge of the stove, and cried out to God at the top of my lungs, “Okay, God!” I sobbed. “You said you would be my Husband! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lonely! I need Your help NOW! I need comfort!”
Immediately, my phone rang! I was shocked to see that my 91-year-old mother, who lived several states away, was calling!
“Mom! Are you alright?” She’d never call at that time of night unless it was an emergency!
“Am I alright? Are YOU alright?” she exclaimed. “The Holy Spirit woke me and said, ‘Call Mary Beth!’ So, I did! What’s going on?”
I told her all about my grief and loneliness. My dear mother listened lovingly as no one else in this world could. Then she prayed with me. I felt deeply comforted.
Today, in this period between saying, “Goodbye” to Bob on this earth and “Hello” to him in Heaven, I can only imagine the incomprehensible joys he is experiencing around God’s throne! And I know that one day, I will join him around that very same throne.
This is why 1 Corinthians 2:9 in The Passion Translation says:
“Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine—these are the many things God has in store for all His lovers.”
I just cannot imagine what Bob is going through! And until it’s my turn to go to be with Jesus, I can only imagine what is in store for me, too!
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