“Mom, what am I going to do?” I moaned as I shared with my mother my woes of the hour.
I was working a full time job and my heart was aching to be home with my daughter instead. This was a pretty difficult decision for me, especially since my job was providing a source of financial security for me and my family. Without it, we would definitely be in a rut to make ends meet.
Very calmly she replied “Did you seek the Lord about it?”
“Yes!” I cried, “and, well…I’m just not sure that He’d have me leave my family in a financial rut just so I could stay home with my daughter. What do you think?”
The smile in her voice when she spoke eased my mind, and I knew immediately what I should do.
Months later I had quit my job and was home with my daughter, raising her and being there to see her most precious moments and milestones. The Lord had protected our financial well being and had blessed my husband with a raise at his job.
But before long, I was calling Mom again.
“Mom?” I began slowly. Mom waited.
“Well…” I hesitated, “I love being in school right now and everything, but…” and there I continued my woes of the hour as Mom patiently and attentively listened to every word I spoke.
And once again, she not only listened, but spoke words of truth to me that I knew only God could have given her to share with me for that very moment.

I have never seen her falter. In the face of adversity and moments of desperation, I have seen her call out to our Heavenly Father, and with such faith and trust in Him that it literally moves me. In the midst of her troubled situations I have observed the peace of God which resides upon her life and the joy of the Lord that radiantly shines from within.

Oh, and although joy is something each individual has to receive on her own, I believe my Mother’s joy is contagious, because I feel quite joyful around her!

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” the psalmist David says. And it’s true. Mom is a strong and determined virtuous woman who would go the extra mile just to have the assurance that our Savior is pleased with her. Because Mom never gives up on God, she is always joyful. And the joy of the Lord will cause one to smile even if she feels unhappy. So, although I’ve done my share of crying, when I go to visit Mom and tell her all about my woes of the hour, I can’t help but to leave with a bright smile on my face. She leaves with me a kindled fire within my soul and continually reveals to me with her quiet smile and patient words how I can attain the same joy. As a treasure of jewels found in the desert sand, is the joy of the Lord I have found in my mother. My prayer is that I will reflect her image of extreme joy in Christ, now and in the years to come.

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Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.

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