For 20 heartwrenching years, Frances prayed for her husband to find Jesus. Their marriage was far from easy--but Frances held onto God, and He gave her the strength to set an unforgettable example for her four children.
Melvina, one of Frances’ daughters, shared with me three memorable things her mother did during those 20 difficult years:
“Mother was faithful to church. Attending church without your companion is not always easy. But her determination to be faithful to church, with or without Daddy, taught us values that shaped eternal destinies for generations. As a child, I remember how people at church loved us. We could hardly wait to get there. As His children, we learned that 'in joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow . . .' Jesus will walk with us. We learned that He answers prayer and that He will save our lost loved ones.
“Depending on the Holy Spirit was also a top priority for our Mother. She experienced the Holy Spirit in the way that the book of Acts speaks of. And the Fruit of the Spirit of JOY prevailed in our home. Even under the heat of a companion who is under the heavy conviction of the Holy Spirit, mother just kept praying, loving, and believing . . . never giving up until the answer came!
“Mother, by example, taught her children to ‘look for the good in people.’ Never once did I hear her put Daddy down or speak of him in a negative manner. (Yes, it is true, children are more perceptive than we realize of how things are at home.) Bitterness and resentment can be planted deep in the hearts of children by a broken-hearted parent transferring their pain to a child. But we rose up and called our Mother ‘blessed’ and continued loving our Daddy and praying for him until he came to Jesus. Today, my three siblings and I have not had to deal with bitterness. Instead we rejoice!”
Whether or not your husband knows Jesus, we can all consider the impression we are leaving on our children! Someday in the future, we’ll share Frances’ full story—I know you’ll be encouraged!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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hey guys, I really like this post, I love to discuss topics on marriage, I remember when I was in college and did a study called before marriage, which criticizes develop a major cause of divorce
ReplyDeletemy husband is a "passionate"!! unbeliever and I struggle daily! my 5 yr old daughter & I go to church and luv it intensely. But I fall down with being good to Hubby - unfortunately I do not see good in him all of the time and find this Extremely hard - well done Frances, its hard. Thank you SOOOOOOO much for posting, i feel so Very Very Very Encouraged by reading this, I'm so blessed x Geri xxx
ReplyDeleteFrances was my Mother. She prayed Daddy into Heaven. For 20 years, the "love of Christ" constrained her even in hard times. The "fruit of the Spirit" of joy supernaturally prevailed. She prayed in the Spirit. She was a Godly example to her 4 children who are all now in ministry. She taught us how to love unconditionally and always look for the "good". Godly Mothers affect eternal destinies for generations-till Jesus comes!
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