Why I hope you have the chance to meet my mom
Dancing queen. Baby holder. Letter writer. Jesus lover. Wisdom giver. Toolkit master. Rap star in another life. But I know her as mom. She’s been there since my day one, as Drake says. And I hope you have a chance to meet her.
You may be the only Jesus someone ever sees. If you meet my mom, it’s like meeting Jesus’s best friend. They’re always talking, always laughing, always singing, always dancing. She knows His heart and He knows hers. She inspires you to want to know Him, too.
If you have the chance to meet my mom, here are a few things you should know:
You won’t be judged. I know people sometimes picture Jesus as a stern judge, but He isn’t. “God sent His son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17). My mom is like Jesus in this way. She accepts you as you are and finds beauty in you instantly. (Unless you steal her parking spot — then, get out of the way. Just kidding! Kind of…)
You’ll be pointed to the Rock. No, not the big, muscular actor (even though he is dreamy). She’ll point you to the best Rock. My mom knows Jesus’s heart is full of loving-kindness. So when you face something difficult, she’ll point you to His loving arms and remind you that He cares deeply.
You’ll have lots of “aha!” moments. Jesus promises to give us wisdom if we ask (James 1:5) and He gives my mom wisdom all of the time. When I was a little girl, I loved listening to my mom’s conversations on the phone. She always knows how to comfort, encourage, direct, guide and give people dignity.
You’ll experience joy. Joy transcends circumstances. My mom will dance with you in hospital waiting rooms. She’ll make you laugh when you are facing the deepest depression. She’ll remind you of your blessings when all you see is your pain.
You may be in the pit — but you won’t stay there long. One of my favorite things about Jesus, and my mom, is that they pull you out of the pit. Out of the pit of fear. Out of the pit of despair. Out of the pit of perfection. Out of the pit of loneliness. Out of the pit of exhaustion. They physically pick you up and carry you out of the pit. When you are with them, they breathe life into you. They remind you that you will get through this and that you are never alone.
You’ll have fun. Jesus said He came so that we would have life and have it to the full (John 10:10) and my mom knows this well. She’s been caught many times singing to Justin Timberlake blasting out of her car stereo (you should see the look on the faces of police officers). Last weekend, I walked into her house and caught her dancing in the living room. My mom sees every blessing and joy in life, even in the hard stuff. If you have the chance to meet her, you will have a blast.
Throughout my life, the person that draws me to know Jesus more is my mom. She knows He is trustworthy. She knows He is good. She knows He is for us. She knows He is love. She thinks He has the funniest sense of humor. As we fall in love with Jesus, His desire is to make us more like Him. My mom is Jesus to me on this earth and I hope you have the chance to meet her someday.
Joyfully,
Lauren
