Faith of our Mothers Living Still

Every person of faith has some thing, or a couple things, that really speak to them. Some people feel they have the strongest connection to God while reading the scripture; for others it’s in times of prayer; I know many people who never feel the presence of God stronger than while they are in service to others.

For me, it has always been music. Music, and specifically Christian hymns, speak to me in ways nothing else ever has. This is likely handed down to me by my mother who got it from my grandparents.

When I think about Mother’s Day, of course, my mind is directed to a memory of being in my grandmother’s church on Atherton Road in Flint. When I was a kid, we would honor her by going to church with her on Mother’s Day.

It wasn’t simply our way of paying homage to her as a mother, who loved and cared for us so well — it was more than that. My grandmother was a strong woman of faith, an unwavering example to me of Christ’s love for all people. She gave us something more precious than gold. There simply is no substitute for a godly mother.

I can still remember sitting there in that little General Baptist church; I remember the words of the hymn we sang that day. They remind me of how fortunate I am to have had a mother and grandmother who wanted me to know Christ.

The hymn starts off like this:

Faith of our mothers, living still,
In cradle song and bedtime prayer;
In nursery lore and fireside love,
Thy presence still pervades the air

Faith of our mothers, Arthur B. Patten 

Though my grandmother passed away many years ago, her presence still “pervades the air” in every aspect of my life. To know her was to know Christ, and so it should be with all of us.

For all the moms out there, I want to share one simple truth: there’s nothing you can do for your children that is more important than to instill in them a desire to know Christ.

Nothing.

Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. A special thanks are in order for Angie Field and Carrie Hufton, a couple wonderful moms who also give of their time to the Pipe Ministry. Thank you!