I Want to be the Apple that Didn't Fall Far from Her Tree

Goodness gracious! I checked my blog archives and realized that it has been five years, 2015, since I gave credit to where credit is due for ME! Besides God, of course, it is to my dad and precious mother. Today is Mom’s birthday and the cast of characters for this 109th birthday celebration includes Father God, Jesus, the angels, her parents, siblings, my dad and all their children – except for this one girl who is the last one standing on this side of heaven.

We should be big on remembering those responsible for our existence. Happy Birthday to my sweet mama! The best of me came from her. Before I was a twinkle in her eyes, Mom raised my dad’s five and 3 years old children as her own. Then there was my sister born twelve years before me. I wasn’t planned, except God used a train accident that my Mom was in to tweek and rearrange her birthing parts to have me. So, whoala – the final hoorah was ME!

If ever there was an angel on earth, it was my mom. She was my mentor and everything a mother should be. She selflessly gave -- "Just give me the fried chicken neck -- that's good enough for me." She always forgave -- "It's okay. God forgives me all the time. I sure can forgive you." She loved unconditionally and overlooked the weaknesses of others.

Her integrity and honesty were of the utmost importance to her. She gave me boundaries that worked: "Let your conscience be your guide." Those words rang in my ears each time I was choosing right or wrong. Our church was her second home -- volunteering, serving and giving. She showed me undaunted faith and determination in the toughest of times when my dad was so sick and when our finances were so meager. I heard her praying for me and my siblings from her bedroom. She was unquestionably the most tender, kind-hearted, loving, gentle, caring and pure woman I have ever known. To this day she remains my hero. Her example made me a better me.

Since my mom has much better things to do than to recognize this tribute, I give it more for you and me to see what a role model -- in the truest sense of the words -- looks like. It is not the things or treasures or inheritance or life insurance or jewelry -- that make us. What makes us, and the legacy we leave to our children, are the things that money could never buy. Her influence on me caused me to be honest, to love and care passionately, to put my faith in God during the best and worst of times, to give and to suck it up when I've been hurt or offended, to trust in God's plans for my life and to leave my family with something so much more than the things that can be bought. I intend to leave them the very best of me.....and the very best of me is my precious mother's example. What are those things that you'll leave to your children and grandchildren? "Her children rise up, and call her blessed...." Proverbs 31:28

Keep Planting Those Seeds

Seed…..Time….Harvest – that’s the process. We plant our seeds of faith, our seeds of caring and loving and giving and, sometimes, we think it’s taking way too long between planting the seed and gathering the harvest. We surmise that it must have been unfruitful seed. Take an apple, for example. It is hard to believe, but inside this itty bitty apple seed is a tree filled with apples. AMAZING! One small seed that has the power to produce a bumper crop of apples from a beautiful, fruit-bearing tree. It’s mysterious AND miraculous! All because God is at work and that’s just the way He rolls. From some of the smallest efforts, come some mighty great things from God.

While making the drive from Frisco to Austin, I was listening to "Unlocked", an audiobook by Karen Kingsbury. To say I've been inspired puts it mildly. The story is about a boy who at age three was over-immunized and became autistic as a result. The mother and father prayed for 15 years that the autism would lose its grip on him and he would be unlocked from the prison he was living in.. The story reveals the beautiful mind of this now 18-year-old young man who, in his strong mind, prays and speaks to and encourages others, though his body says otherwise. The parents keep praying for a miracle by planting seeds of faith and watching for any sign that his "prison" is unlocking. Spoiler Alert!! I’m at the part of the audiobook where that’s happening.

I am daily inspired by true-life stories that I see being played out on Facebook by many of my friends. One precious mother whose 8-year-old son was born with Full Trisomy 13, keeps us in her reality "story" as she shares her faith and the slow-in-coming, yet sweet victories. The seeds of faith that have been planted, watered, and cultivated by this most loving and devoted Mom are starting to mature. Yesterday morning I read her words: “Well, we can officially add one more word to Kingston’s vocabulary!! “Man-da!” (Amanda!) He absolutely adores his PT Amanda and this morning he said her name plain as day!! He’s been “babbling” for a few weeks but this is more articulated! A new word is a huge milestone for us!!! I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!!"
Did you catch those mighty faith words? “I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!”

I sincerely believe my post today is for someone who is diligently planting and the harvest, so far, is slim-pickin’s. I get it. We live in an instant-gratification world and it’s a world that values BIG. Big actions. Major impacts. Giant works. It is easy to get caught up thinking only “big things” matter, and we end up thinking our efforts are small and insignificant. Hold on, my Child! Joy comes in the morning. Your efforts, your actions, your kindness, your words, REALLY matter though you think they aren’t massive enough, far-reaching, or grand enough. Oh, contraire! They do matter. They matter because God is at work even when we cannot see it. He is at work in us and through us. We may never be famous or make headlines, but the seeds He plants in us and through us are our opportunity to BELIEVE. Never should we discount our contribution because it doesn’t seem like enough.

Keep scattering those seeds. Extraordinary things are done by God through us. Every positive, packed-full-of-faith word we speak, the encouragement and the offered prayer, the word of hope we deliver, are SEEDS. We never know how God will grow a seed. But, in His time, those seeds will grow. We may or may not even see them. But that is how it works . . . in His way and in His time. We can be at peace knowing we faithfully did our part and now His miraculous work is to come.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time (in due season) we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” {Galatians 6:9}

Keep planting those seeds…..and get your pick-up truck ready to haul in that harvest!!

The Apple Didn't Fall Far From the Tree

I amused myself yesterday when I saw these three apples in a bowl at the Wuerch's home. I remembered that phrase we use when we see a parent and children look-alike and we declare, "The apple didn't fall from the tree!" That implies that it's obvious who the parents are and who those children belong to. They may have so many resemblances -- in looks, personalities and even, abilities. That's what I thought about when I saw this super-sized apple, the medium one and the little one!

I understand that the apple is considered the king of fruit. I know it’s hard to believe, but inside those apples are trees filled with apples. Just think about it…one small seed has the power to produce a beautiful tree that provides incredible amounts of delicious and healthy fruit.

Years ago my mother and father in law had a huge apple orchard on the 10 acres they owned in Oklahoma. Oh, how we loved those apples and the apple pies, apple salads, apple tarts and apple jams Mom made with them. But in time the apple orchard became diseased and before long.....no more apples. That's what happened when Dad became very ill and the many years of attention and TLC that he once gave that orchard, just wasn't possible any more.

But, like those tiny seeds in those apples that could ultimately produce an apple tree, Dad had "mustard seed" faith for his return to good health. He suffered from Mesathemolia and Lymphona cancer and his doctor said, "Barring a miracle, you won't live beyond six months." But, Dad, a theologian and Bible scholar AND knew God's Word, and that it was full of miracle stories, so much so, that he remembered King Hezekiah's plea for his health to return after having been told that he was going to die. But, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord in 2 Kings 20:3 "Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And, he immediatly received a reply from God that said, "I have heard your prayer. I will heal you and will add fifteen years to your life." That story gave Dad everything he needed to plead his case also. He had been a faithful, devoted servant of God for way over 50 years, so, he, too, asked for 15 more years, like King Hezekiah received. And, THAT is the story of Dad. He asked and he received 15 more years, almost to the day he asked.

Then there's my precious Mama who sacrificed so much for me to make ends meet and live a life of audacious faith, joy, peace and hope. She had every reason to complain, but just didn't. Indeed, I pray that "my apple didn't fall far from her tree either"!

And, that's what I'm staking my life upon, too. Though Dad wasn't my biological father, he was as dear to me as though he were. Since my Dad passed away when I was just 15 years old, I needed an Apple Tree to resemble. I wanted that kind of faith. I wanted to look like that and act like that. I want to resemble my sweet Mama's Apple Tree, too. That's the kind of faith my sweetheart and I had for his healing. Though he didn't get many more years like Dad did, we still did what we knew to do by believing, not doubting, by trusting, not complaining and by standing strong on God's Word. God said it and that was good enough for us. The fact of the matter is this, we all have the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords as our perfect APPLE TREE. Don't you want folks to say "You look and act just like your DAD? Your apple didn't fall far from the APPLE TREE at all!!