The Legacy of a Mother
My mom is one of those people whose faith is steady. It’s unwavering. She has known her share of hard times but even in the midst of difficulties, her heart is toward the Lord. At eight years old, she and her parents and siblings were saved and right away my mom started preaching to the neighborhood kids. She has always had a heart for evangelism.
As she grew up, got married, and had children, God gave her the opportunity to become a speaker, speaking at luncheons, events, and retreats—sometimes about her area of expertise and training with fashion and interior design but also about her testimony of how God has miraculously worked in her life.
To this day, my mom does not know a stranger. Most people know “Miss Barbara” because she is not afraid to enter your space or your bubble and get to know you, letting you know that she loves you, God loves you, and she’s praying for you.
A while back, I came across Psalm 116. I’ve read this psalm before, but this particular time it resonated with me in a totally different way. It reminded me of my mom’s testimony, her life, and the legacy she has passed down to me and my siblings. Take a look:
“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘Lord, save me!’
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I trusted in the Lord when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted’; in my alarm I said, ‘Everyone is a liar.’ ”
“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
“Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord—in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.”
That last part gets me, “Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord…” For me, I understand the value and the cost of the legacy that has been handed down to me from my mom, and I will serve the Lord as she did. God’s grace has been upon my life, and He has delivered me from my difficulties. I know and understand the rich inheritance I’ve been given, and I will thank the Lord and follow Him all the days of my life.
Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member