Why Don’t You Ask My Mom to Dance?
(Read Psalm 23)
For me, one of the most awesome parts of being a Christian is that it keeps me open to love and learning from a variety of sources throughout my life. Just when I congratulate myself for understanding life, I am awakened to the fact that I have a lot to learn. When I think I know God’s singular meaning to a certain passage of scripture, I’m blindsided by someone who shows me a whole new truth to that passage. This is where my friend Momma comes in.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
Momma is our good friends’ mother who lives with them. She is an amazing woman with an amazing story. She is sweet, loving, calm, and a blessing to all she meets. “Growing up as a Catholic, I had always been a believer,” she confessed. “But the day my first husband walked out the door leaving me with our children and a $10 bill, I discovered a whole new relationship with God.” With the stress this fracture brought to her life, combined with raising children with no money, “I knew I would not be able to do this on my own,” she continued.
Psalm 23 was written by King David. Notice that he did not say, “If” or “I hope” the Lord is my shepherd. He wrote “The Lord is my shepherd.” It was a confident and assured proclamation. Momma made the same declaration at that point in her life. At that moment, she surrendered and transferred the control of her life out of her hands into the loving arms of Jesus Christ.
“I always believed in God but I never relied on him.”
God walked with Momma every day of her life, but was more apparent to her when she needed him most. She had to work two jobs while raising seven children. Her day job was serving as a Nurse’s Aid at her local hospital. Her second job was working at a grocery store until 9pm every night. Her kids would come with her and sit near the checkout counter. God shepherded her, He was with her. Even though her former church excommunicated her for getting a divorce, “God didn’t excommunicate me,” she professed. “He didn’t turn his back on me. He never has.”
When the Lord is our shepherd, He is able and willing to supply all our needs. His abundant love replaces our “wants.” God feeds the birds and makes lilies grow. With God, we shall not want for earthly or spiritual needs. His grace is sufficient for us. Momma and her children didn’t have much. There were struggles. But, God gave her strength. His broad shoulders provided a safe haven for her to rely upon.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.”
Some scholars believe that “green pastures” represent the truth of Scriptures and the “still waters” is God’s peace and grace. Like green grass, God’s word is always fresh, rich in truth, and never exhausted. There is no fear of bare, rocky, hard ground. There was reassuring hope in God’s word for Momma. She read her Bible and poured over God’s word. I looked at her Bible today, and it screams of a close, personal, daily relationship. It has highlights, notes, letters, underlines, and circles. God’s word also gave her peace, guidance, and direction. It provided calm amidst her turbulence.
“He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.”
Even during challenging times, Momma showed her renewed heart in many ways. She would walk 2-3 miles with her kids to an elderly woman’s home to bathe her because she couldn’t take care of herself. No one told her to sacrifice her time to do this, it was her just giving back. It was her showing Jesus Christ’s humble love to others who needed it. A local guy, who had an interest in Momma, would watch them walk this long distance even in the cold of Vermont winters nearly every day.
One night, Momma took her family to a local dance at a community center. She knew about this wonderful man who also attended the gathering. He was a good, stable, and selfless man, well-liked in the town. The guy was dancing with pretty much everyone but Momma. Eventually, her son walked up to him and said, “Why don’t you ask my Mom to dance?” Momma felt that this happened at this time for a reason. She was prepared, shaped for this point in her life.
As a nurse’s aide, Momma bent the rules to spend more time with patients than she was supposed to. She befriended a woman named Pearl. Pearl would tell Momma stories about the world and Momma would tell Pearl all about her kids. Pearl made a big impact on Momma, and I have no doubt Momma did the same for Pearl. Pearl gave Momma a silver dollar. Momma was overwhelmed. Pearl said, “Oh it’s not for you, it’s for your son.”
“You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.”
“How is your life different since you decided to fully rely on God,” I asked her. Momma said she would not be who she is or where she is without God. “I’m a much stronger person,” she replied. “I will do things for other people, make sacrifices, because I want to, I don’t even think about it.”
According to Momma, her second husband was the kind of man who would do anything for anyone. He once gave a van to someone who had lost their vehicle. Just gave him the keys. They married more than once because Momma wanted to get married in their new church after moving to Florida. “How many times do I have to marry you to show I love you,” he joked with her.
“He restores my soul.”
Momma’s faith and reliance on God has given her and her family a foundation built upon a rock. She prays daily that God leads her to His way to do His will. After many tiring and lean years with an unknown future, Momma struck gold with her second husband. Her family blossomed and has been her focus and passion her entire life. While Momma’s family has kept her going through the darkest of days, it was her faith and devotion to Christ that lit her path. The life Momma lives, the passion she shows, the peaceful calm she lends to others, is not just a reflection of Jesus Christ, it illuminates His glory.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
I thought I knew the full relevance of Psalm 23, but Momma showed it to me in person. She brought it to life. I loved Momma from the first time I met her. She reminds me a lot of the wonderful characteristics of my Mom. She cares deeply for everyone she meets. She accepts nothing but the best out of people. She is an eternal optimist. We talked about what it must be like to be an atheist during a tragedy. She had no idea, but she said, “I think if they dig deep enough, they’ll find God.”
Key Applications:
- Who or what do you rely on when you are presented with challenge? If it’s alcohol, drugs, or something else along those lines, your challenge will be greeting you the next morning. If you truly rely on Jesus Christ, trust in Him with your life — you will be set free. We don’t know how things will turn out. We can barely predict how we’ll respond to something in the moment. Jesus knows our reactions before that challenge even happened to us.
- Do you find God’s word reassuring? Do you spend quiet time with the Bible? The Bible covers pretty much every topic known to mankind, whether 5,000 years ago or today. Answers are there. When struggling or doubting, open the Book. Read Psalm 23. Spend 15 minutes every morning this week reading and meditating on this passage.
- Look for those special people in your life who demonstrate the love of Jesus. Are they special because they boast about how great or unique they are, or are they special because of what they give? Be like them. Give time, treasures, or talent when someone doesn’t expect it.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.