Our Savior Lutheran Church Flint

Pastor Randy Schultz

Mother ... A "Touch of Security" from God Above

This story for Mothers' Day is adapted from A Mother's Way by Temple Bailey.

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long?" "Yes," her Guide said, "and the way is hard. You will be old before you reach the end of it. But," He stopped to smile warmly, "The end will be better than the beginning."

The young mother was so happy, though, that she could not believe anything could be better than these early years. She played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams. The sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark. The children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close, covering them with her mantle. Her children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid when you are near." The mother said, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."

Then the morning came, and there was a hill ahead. The children climbed and grew weary. The mother was weary, too, but she kept encouraging her children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children continued to climb. When they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked past the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last. My children have learned fortitude in the face of difficulty. Yesterday I taught them courage; today I have taught them strength.

With the next day came strange clouds that darkened the earth -- clouds of war and hate and evil. The children groped and stumbled. The mother said, "Look up. Lift your eyes past the blackness to the Light." The children looked up and saw an Everlasting Glory above the strange clouds. It guided them and brought them through the darkness and evil. That night the mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have helped my children learn to see God."

The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years. The mother grew old, until she was very little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and they walked with courage. When the way was hard, they helped their mother; when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather. At last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gate flung wide. The mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know that the end really is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and they will teach their children after them."

The children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

They stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. They said, "We can't see her, but she is with us still. And now she is secure forever. A mother like ours is more than a memory."

Happy Mothers' Day, whatever your age or stage on life's journey! And remember God's promises:

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16a); and
"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted ..." (Isaiah 66:13).

Yours in God’s Love,

Pastor Randy Schultz

Guidelines for Meditating on The Word

Choose an appropriate time and place to meditate in which there will be complete quiet

Pray to the Holy Spirit that He would enable you to understand what you read from the Bible

Read through the given passage of Scripture 3 times in one setting

Spend at least 10 minutes pondering what you read

Answer the following questions about the passage:

What do I learn about Jesus?
What does God want me to believe or do?

Write down your thoughts so that you do not forget them and can ponder them at a later time

Pray to God about the content of the passage

Each day of the week, meditate on a phrase or sentence from the given passage. If possible memorize it.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2)

These words recorded by St. Paul summarize and empower the theme of our spiritual growth and faith renewal effort now known as Connect to Christ: experience MORE.

At our Leadership Retreat, each director prayerfully shared his/her goal(s) for this campaign. Two themes were repeated and amplified around the table: “more” of the good things (i.e. God things) going on at Our Savior Lutheran; and “unity” of people and purpose.

Truly, we are blessed by knowing Christ and being united (connected) to Him. St. Paul names some of these blessings in the Scripture above: encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, compassion. Connected to Christ, we experience these blessings and MORE. Look around our website and check out what MORE Christ has to give.

Spiritual renewal is the work of the Holy Spirit who connects us to Christ and thereby restores the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12).

Because we are “united with Christ,” we also have a connection to each other in Christ. St. Paul records that as we are “like-minded” in Christ and as we show the “same love” as Christ, and we function as “one spirit and purpose,” then our joy is made complete.

May the Holy Spirit restore and complete our joy as we worship, serve, and grow together at Our Savior Lutheran. Let’s Connect to Christ: Experience MORE!