My Mother was a Scripture Scout

​Come sit down with me at my kitchen table. We can chat because there is comfort in knowing someone else understands.

Mother's Day is today. Facebook and all social media will be buzzing with news of new mothers, old mothers, past mothers, and appreciated mothers. For some, it will be a happy day and for others like me, it will remind them that they never had a child. I did go on to have two awesomely cool adopted boys but not until I had cried my heart out many times like Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:10-17.

Many of you, although you had children and raised them the best you could, have a story that didn't end up the way you'd hoped. I don't know your story but I do know that you can choose to be a godly mother in whatever circumstances you have been given by the Lord.

My mother passed from this life into glory in December of 2018 and this will be the third Mother's Day that I can't call her or send a card. I am grateful to the ones close to me who considered that the first year without her and reached out. Will you be missing your mother too? I hope you have read what I shared about her and how she can challenge you to be a godly mother or grandmother. One of life’s greatest blessings is to have a godly mother. And, thus, one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to be a godly mother.​

I’d like to promote the role of being a godly mother by looking at the impact a a mother and grandmother had on a familiar young man named Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:5 we discover that his faith came to him through his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. God may have used the Apostle Paul’s instruction to bring Timothy to his rebirth, but behind his teaching were years of godly influence by Timothy’s grandmother and mother. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, we also learn that the sincere faith of these women was combined with guiding Timothy since his earliest days straight from the Scriptures. Their example and the results in Timothy’s life show us that they were, in fact, scripture scouts.​

Eunice and Lois tell us that godly moms are ...

1. ... women of genuine faith (1:5).
2. ... ones that honour God’s Word and train their children in it (3:14-17).
3. ...women who will have a real impact on their children.

This short mom-honouring post will cover all three.

My mother was a scripture scout and the creator of The Scripture Scout's Sleuth for the Truth (originally "Look at the Book"). Many called her a 'child whisperer' who was an elementary education teacher for many years. In one of those years, she met missionary Glen Gray whom she followed to New Zealand where they worked for about a decade and there had their daughter, that'd be me.

A few years later, in Colorado, my mother Anne, and Barbara McMickle began the Look at the Book program, and both have tweaked and shared it until it became used by church congregations as elementary and adult curriculum in many states and is used in different parts of the world. She and dad then resided in Tennessee until she moved into God's house ("there are many rooms"). She has presented the curriculum professionally to many churches and universities throughout the U.S. and South Pacific. It is now offered to YOU, at The Scripture Scout's STORE. (Go HERE for two free lessons!)

My mother met with a difficult illness and passed from this earth to glory sooner than expected and over the Christmas holidays of 2018. I did, however, finish transferring her curriculum to a downloadable file and literally typed the last few words at the very moment I got a call from dad to get to their house as quickly as possible ... several hours later, she went to be with Jesus as my husband prayed her into His arms and I sang "Jesus Loves Me" to her just as she did for me.

We had been working on the curriculum together as much as possible, but in the end, not a lot was possible. There were still a few tweaks I needed to finish for her but everything came to a halt upon her passing, planning and hosting a Celebration of Life service and the other stuff that comes with loss. You know ... grief. Thank you for understanding and reading my little mom-honour post this Mother's Day. You may also read THE BEST DINNER ROLLS EVER for a humorous little something that was read at her services (funny, but REAL).

A Christian mother can only hope that her influence will impact their child(ren) and will in one way or another bring them to the Lord. Sometimes I feel like a failure as a mother. But I do believe that God always honours repentance. You can always turn back to God, confess your shortcomings, and begin to follow and obey Him where you are now.

Even if your kids are grown, God will honour your remorse. It is okay to ask them for forgiveness if you feel like you may have neglected to be an example of godliness or didn’t train them in the ways of the Lord. God can still use you to show them trust and sincere faith, and He may use you to work in their lives in that way. Walk with God in genuine faith. Use His Word to direct your children and grandchildren to the same sincere faith you now have.

And have a very happy Mother's Day.