I’d like to write a tribute today to the two most influential people in my walk of faith. The impact the two of them made on me laid the groundwork for the follower of Christ I am today. They were my parents, John and Ethel.
My dad passed away from a car accident in 1987 and my mother from breast cancer in 1995.
Dad grew up in a Christian home while Mom did not. Dad was the youngest of eight kids; Mom the oldest of 11. Both were raised in the hills of the beautiful state of Kentucky.
My father was a people person. I remember being embarrassed as a kid watching him talk to complete strangers no matter where he was. I’d see him have his billfold open with a string of pictures telling whoever was listening about each of us 10 kids. Oh, how proud he was of us all.
Dad’s dad was a preacher with two congregations and, also, a physician. He, too, was a people person.
I wasn’t given the opportunity to meet grandpa. He was born in 1865 and died in 1938 at the age of 83. I did, however, grow up hearing many stories that were told about his love and care for everyone. People came to see him from all around, sometimes, just for grandpa to pray with them.
So, my dad got his sense of being a people person and love for others honestly. He grew up surrounded by this kind of influence.
Dad was a gentle man, but his patience when someone mistreated him or others ran only so deep.
I remember one time in particular when he had taken on a new job of being a bus driver. He brought a sack lunch from home each day and placed it in the refrigerator at work until lunchtime.
After a few days of working there, his lunch began disappearing, so he didn’t get to enjoy what Mom had gone out of her way to prepare for him. Of course, he was frustrated after this happened over and over again.
When Dad had finally had his fill of his lunch being stolen and not having anything to refresh himself with during the day, he asked my mother if she would bake up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. She did this, but those were not regular chocolate chips she put in with the cookie dough.
The next day, my mom packed several of those “special” cookies in with the rest of Dad’s lunch. Sure enough, his lunch disappeared again on that day and one of his fellow bus drivers came up missing from work for the next two or three days. Dad’s lunch never disappeared again. Go figure.
The lesson I learned from the example of how my dad handled this situation was that, sometimes, there are ways of teaching Biblical truths to people who sin against us without ever having to say a spoken word. Sometimes.
Then, there was my mother. She was more on the quiet side. With 10 kids to care for, she didn’t have a lot of time for extra words. She was more about getting things done and us kids getting things done, too.
Mom had a big heart. She didn’t like to see anyone go without food. If she heard about someone having a genuine need for help and if she thought we had something we could share with them, then she was willing to give from what we had.
One of my fondest memories of my mother takes me back to my growing up years at home.
In our community lived a bachelor. He never had any children of his own and he lived out in the country up the hill from us.
Always on holidays, Mom made huge delicious meals for my family. My older siblings came home with their families for the day. There were kids and grandkids everywhere.
Before my dad asked the blessing before we were allowed to eat, Mom had already prepared the bachelor neighbor an extra big helping of her fixings and had Dad take it up to him. She wanted those days to be special for that gentleman just like they were for the 25 of us gathered together at home.
I learned by Mom’s example to follow Philippians 2:3-4 to not be selfishm but rather watch out for the interests and needs of others.
I learned from both of my parents, John and Ethel, how to walk the walk of faith, though none of us perfectly so. They showed us 10 kids what it looked like to live for Jesus without shoving it down our throats. They chose to live it in front of us kids and we will be eternally grateful for the legacy of faith in Jesus Christ that they lived before us.
Not until recently have I realized why most of my favorite Biblical accounts have something to do with Jesus and how he wanted people to help one another and care for those who were less fortunate or just plain needed assistance of some kind. Like the story of the Good Samaritan in the Book of Luke.
I realize, too, why my life’s work has been related in one form or another to social work. Like my dad, I got it honestly because I grew up around this kind of influence.
I salute you, mom and dad.
Nita Evans of Columbus is host of “The Chat” Saturdays on WYGS Radio, owner of Confidential Christian Counseling, a national conference speaker, and Columbus Police Department chaplain. She can be reached at her website at specialspeaker.com. Send comments to [email protected].
