by Jeremy Dehut<\/p>\n
I’ve been reflecting on Mom’s legacy. God has used her and Dad in incredible ways. Both of my parents came from broken homes where sin, abuse, alcohol, and other addiction was common. When mom was five her father died in a car accident he caused from drinking. My grandmother met her next husband in a bar, who has fought with drunkenness for most of his life. The public face of their family rarely matched what was happening at home. Mom’s heart longed for a loving parent she could rely on. One that would not hurt or leave her. She longed for a home that was safe.<\/p>\n
My grandmother started taking the kids to a local church, and my mom learned about the God of the Bible. She excitedly placed her hope in Him and in his son Jesus. God was the Father she desperately needed. Over the course of her life, she introduced her Heavenly Father to my dad, and he became a Christian when I was an infant. Together they changed the trajectory of their lives by allowing God, Jesus, and the Spirit to shape our home. Discipleship came at a tremendous personal cost because not everyone in their family circles understood or agreed with their changing lives and the boundaries they started developing to pursue holiness and to protect us kids. They believed that God meant for families to be more. Better. Safer.<\/p>\n
God filled their home with children, five biological kids, and two adoptions. They introduced all of us to God, Christ, and the gospel principles of grace, mercy, and discipleship. Dad started learning how to teach and preach the gospel so others could belong to the family of God. They made selfless sacrifices so mom could stay home to raise all of us. Dad would work two or more jobs to make it possible, all without complaint. Together they have embodied the servant leadership of Jesus and the submission of the church (Eph. 5). They have continued to do that to the best of their ability (with the mercy and strength of Jesus), even through the trial of Mom’s health. They have had the joy of beginning to see their grandchildren place their faith in God and Jesus. All because my mom sought a Father and my dad had an honest heart open to truth. Only God knows what the final tally in heaven will be from the devoted heart of a hurting little girl who found Him.<\/p>\n
Tonight I am writing this on the final flight back to Kentucky to be with Mom and my family. Despite growing weaker, my mom has been having sweet conversations with a loved one about her Heavenly Father. My mom’s sister decided she wanted to make sure God was her Father too. So as hospice was evaluating mom, I flew out to Oregon to baptize my aunt. A friend held up a phone so my mom could watch as her sister put on Christ. As Mom’s race concludes, God blessed her with the joy of knowing that she and her sister share the same heavenly Father!<\/p>\n
Please pray for our family in the upcoming days as we care for Mom, Dad, and Zach. Pray for comfort, peace, and joy for her. She is ready to be with Jesus and see her Father! And pray for those of us left behind as we work through the confusing jumble of grief and joy, and as we pick up her legacy of bringing more souls to the Father.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeremy Dehut I’ve been reflecting on Mom’s legacy. God has used her and Dad in incredible ways. Both of my parents came from broken homes where sin, abuse, alcohol, and other addiction was common. When mom was five her father died in a car accident he caused from drinking. My grandmother met her next…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[353,451],"class_list":["post-64103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-influence","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45734,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-my-mother-die-in-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":0},"title":"Did my mother die in sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to make clear why this is so important for me. It would be either way when it comes to a mother, but given how much I owe her, it is especially concerning for me. I apologize if it's a bit long. I was born in Texas (raised\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34072,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-mother-died-before-the-final-papers-concerning-her-estate-could-be-signed-should-i-fight-my-sister-to-make-sure-that-our-parents-wishes-are-carried-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":1},"title":"My mother died before the final papers concerning her estate could be signed. Should I fight my sister to make sure that our parents’ wishes are carried out?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Our family recently lost our mother and father. \u00a0My dad knew their time was short and was trying to get his affairs in order before he passed but wasn't able to do so. \u00a0My mother was suffering from Alzheimer's and passed a few short months after daddy. \u00a0There was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35350,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-mothers-made-of\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":2},"title":"What Are Mothers Made Of?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 31:27-30 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To prepare the children for making a sweet Mothers Day card, the elementary school teacher asked her class some questions that she thought would cause them to appreciate their mom\u2019s more, then they could think of something sweet to write when it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39797,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-my-mother-to-complain-about-other-peoples-seemingly-undeserved-luxuries\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":3},"title":"Is it wrong for my mother to complain about other people’s seemingly undeserved luxuries?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeff, I hope you're doing well. I would like some advice on whether my mom's actions are okay or not. She works very hard. In my opinion, she's the hardest-working member of the family, but she has a habit of grumbling when other people enjoy seemingly undeserving luxuries.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27526,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-help-my-daughter-see-it-is-not-good-to-be-jealous-of-friends-who-are-having-babies-out-of-wedlock\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":4},"title":"How do I help my daughter see it is not good to be jealous of friends who are having babies out of wedlock?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am so concerned about my daughter who is in her early twenties and still lives with us. She is a faithful Christian, has kept herself pure, and tries to be what God wants her to be. However, she has seen a couple of her Christian friends choose the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41117,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-grew-up-in-a-family-that-didnt-love-or-want-me-how-do-i-learn-to-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":64103,"position":5},"title":"I grew up in a family that didn’t love or want me. How do I learn to love?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was born into a family that didn't love me because I'm black and Mexican mixed with heart disease. My mother left me in the hospital for a week when I was born because she didn't want me, and neither did her mother and her family. 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