I hesitated a lot about sharing this, but my mom wrote this for a baby shower she helped organize. Its about me and how my coming to the Lord was for her.

Now, I am not sharing this to make myself the center of attention, it is all God's Sovereign grace that changed my life. I might someday write my testimony as there are other elements that were involved with me coming to the Lord.

 “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORDS A MOTHER CAN HEAR”

I don’t want to give a long devotional at all, in fact, I am unsure how I am doing this in the first place .  I only know that I suggested a  short devotional would be nice and was told “great idea, its your idea, YOU do it…” so here I am.

Now I  do NOT consider myself an expert in motherhood, I don’t think anyone is.  I have 3 kids and I love them all to death, and I would do almost anything for them, but I am not expert!

Let me read a beautiful scripture and just share a few thoughts with you today…

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and  a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest,  you will find me. When you seek me, I will be found by you.” Jer. 29: 11-14

I read this verse today and thought about my oldest son Luis. When he left home, I gave him a Bible and wrote this verse in it. Let me share you a little about Luis…

.…he is not here, so he can’t defend himself!  When he was in his last year of high school here, he decided he wanted to go live in the USA and work and study there. He turned just  18 and started the party scene, drinking and just went wild, with what he thought was his newfound freedom, being 18 and all . He came to church with us always, at our insistence, but wasn’t that interested in spiritual things.

SO I was not real happy to  let him go to the US, though I knew in the back of my mind, it would  probably be good for him. Both Armando and I have family in the US, and when he finally decided to go to Las Cruces, NM with Armando’s sister, Rosa and her family, I was comforted.  A strong Christian, missionary with her husband, and with two sons, older than Luis, strong Christians also, who I felt would be a good influence.

It was SO hard to let him go, but I had to let him go….I joked that it was sort of “divine payback”, God’s little joke that he go so far away from home….I had done the same thing when I came here, not much older than him!

His cousins and aunt and uncle were a  very good influence, and invited him to church and his cousins invited him to their  Christian college meetings.  He put off going for awhile, but finally did…and one night, I  got a phone call from him and he told me the most beautiful thing I think any Christian mother could ever want to hear…better than any “I love you mommy, or Happy’s Mother’s day, “ all good too…but this beat it all!

He said…”Mom, I think the Lord  really has touched me.”

And HE DID! Today Luis is a strong, committed Christian…growing and serving God.

So this brings me to this conclusion: God’s plan IS the best….I didn’t really want to let Luis go, he was so rebellious at the time and so young!   And at  first,  I cried a lot, then put him into God’s hands….and God has had him there, all the time, IN HIS HANDS.

SO I feel this is what we must strive for as mother’s…we do our best to teach them in the way that they should go, guide them, love them always, NO MATTER WHAT, but ultimately, their lives are in God’s hands…we have to give them to God, pray without ceasing and IN ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS.

Amen