This is the year in which I will turn 60. Sixty years seems like an incomprehensible period of time really. Whether you are viewing it from childhood, young adulthood or even the maturity of 40 years, sixty seems so far away. But as hard as it is to realize these years have passed, here I am!
Looking back is both a blur of endless videos and a collection of crystal clear snapshots. As I stand gazing backwards, it’s only natural to analyze the whats and whys of my life thus far and that leads me to people. People who influenced me and steered my life as I have lived it. There are a large number of people who have spoken truth into my life, a sizable group of people who, by their lives have shown me what not to do, a handful of people close to me who have given me counsel as I shared my heart, but only two have had the most impact on my life and soul, my husband and my mother. The story of my husband is for another day. This is the story of my mother’s influence on my life. What she taught me, not just words said, but her life lived.
With over 40 years of ministry experience, I have listened to so many stories of people in painful situations who are looking for answers. In many cases, much of their pain could have been avoided if they had applied wisdom but when they reached into that storehouse that should have provided guidance for them, they found it empty. No one had deposited wisdom in that account for them to draw on when needed. In fact, I have come to realize that the core foundations my mother invested in me are long forgotten in today’s world. They are not just dismissed, but mocked in the public discourse. I contend that what matters has not changed, no matter how loud the objections and I want to share with you what I learned from my mother and why it matters.
Everyone on this earth who has taken a breath was first influenced by their mother — even if they never met her, she influenced them as she carried them, as she delivered them, she gave them a part of herself that will never change. For most of us, that relationship continued and developed over the course of a lifetime. For some, the story is not a happy one, but for many of us, our mothers molded and shaped us to succeed in life, both now and for eternity. My mother, Mary Lou Current McDonald, shaped not only my life, she shaped my soul.