She is more precious than jewels

They say that you don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it anymore. For many, unfortunately, that means losing someone or something permanently. Thankfully for me, in this case, it just meant moving out.

Not too long ago, I wrote about my dad. I told about how he has been a picture of God’s grace to me. As we are now graced with Mother’s Day, I find myself thinking about my momma and what she means to me. There are a lot of things and a lot of examples I could give about what she has done to help make and mold my life. Just like my dad, her life has also been a great picture of God to me. There are many attributes of God that I’ve seen displayed in my mother’s life growing up. The one that I’ve seen most clearly and prominently displayed has been the loving nature of God. And as I watch my mother grow in her Faith and I see her continue her walk with Christ, I have only seen these character traits in her increase.

With good reason, love has been placed first in the list of the fruits of the Spirit, the Scriptural checklist Paul give us to tell who is a genuine Believer.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

While I have seen many of these other things clearly displayed in my mom, love surpasses them all. When you think about it, Love drives and motivates the others. Take long suffering, for instance. I remember many a trips to Reading to visit mommom and poppop and my two wonderful sisters and I were crammed in the back of the “Bobomobile”, as Nicole liked to call it, like a couple of sardines. I still swear that I never provoked any of it. Until someone can prove otherwise, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! No matter though. Whoever started it, usually Diana and sometimes Nicole, oddly enough, I was a common denominator in every backseat battle. It was only mom’s long suffering that kept her from taping all of our mouths shut and cuffing us behind our backs.

Summer after summer, it was because of mom’s self-control that I still have all my limbs intact. Had Diana and Nicole not bugged me, I would never have needed to torture them the way I did. Yet everyday, while some punishment did ensue, it took much self-control on mom’s part to not give me what I really deserved.

Throughout the years, it is because of the deep love embedded in mom’s heart that I have routinely seen joy, peace, kindness, goodness and gentleness displayed in mom’s life as well. Many times, I can remember calling home after a tough day in classes at school or a tough day collecting bills and being encouraged merely by the joy in mom’s voice. Countless times, I’ve called home just because I was lonely just and wanted to hear momma’s voice. Nothing is more encouraging than to hear the voice of someone so joyful because you thought to give them a call. She never needed to say much. Just hearing the way she says hello when she realizes it’s me calling home is enough to get me through a lonely day.

But her love exceeds them all. Through everything, there was one thing I have never once doubted about my mom. That is her love. While there were fleeting moments when joy or long suffering wasn’t at its peak, I still knew without a shadow of doubt, that my momma loved me.

In my repertoire of jobs, there was one that made me see even clearer how much my mom overflowed with love. When I had a job working at Philhaven, I worked with kids who, for the most part, just wanted attention and where they needed the most, their mother, they didn’t get it. No matter how much I acted up or misbehaved, I knew Mom would still be there.

As I read through Proverbs 31, I see my mother personified in this:

¹⁰ Who can find a capable wife?
She is far more precious than jewels.

¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.

¹² She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with willing hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from far away.

¹⁵ She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her servants.

¹⁶ She evaluates a field and buys it;
she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

¹⁷ She draws on her strength
and reveals that her arms are strong.

¹⁸ She sees that her profits are good,
and her lamp never goes out at night.

¹⁹ She extends her hands to the spinning staff,
and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰ Her hands reach out to the poor,
and she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all in her household are doubly clothed.

²² She makes her own bed coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes and sells linen garments;
she delivers belts to the merchants.

²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she can laugh at the time to come.

²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and loving instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the activities of her household
and is never idle.

²⁸ Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:

²⁹ "Many women are capable,
but you surpass them all!"

³⁰ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Mom, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how much your love for your family inspires me to love even more. You are truly more precious than jewels. There are many great women and mothers out there, but you surpass them all. I love you.