For some years, I have been receiving daily emails from a dear homemaker who tells it like is. Her name is Mrs. Connie Hultquist. Though her Yahoo group has changed names a few times, her transparent, homespun writing style has remained the same. Just imagine sitting with a Titus 2 mother for a daily cup of tea or her famous “cowboy coffee” which she made often for her late husband Jim. Picture a wise woman with grown children who encourages others with grace and wisdom, but add to that her quirky sense of humor, and a little sass and moxie. Mrs. Connie is not your typical stodgy church lady, but she’s not a perfect heathen either! She has allowed her life to be an open book to others, sharing the ups and downs of a marriage, parenting, and now, widowhood.
I first learned of Connie’s writings through a magazine article she had written for Above Rubies. At the time, I had just begun feeling the Lord leading me to study all I could about homemaking, marriage, and childrearing. For years, she did not have access to a traditional computer with Internet access, instead rising early in the morning to tap out a few short words on an email machine. A kind friend then forwarded her emails to the members of her group. Now, Mrs. Connie has a website with many archived writings, and has even compiled a list of her best writings in a book.
I want to share one of her entries that I found especially inspiring. It is entitled “Mother, Home and Heaven.” I have edited it for punctuation and spelling, but kept her grammar untouched to preserve the conversational style of her writing. Enjoy!
Dear Mothers in Christ Jesus.
I have so much to say to you this morning. It’s about virtuous power and strength. It’s about shining as the stars of our homes in the darkness of this generation. It’s about the difference between religion and true Bible Christianity. Mother, when you go on to heaven what do you want folks to remember about you?
It seems we get into so much religion, and we want to make sure our doctrine is just right. But ya know I think of Mother Theresa of India. She was Catholic and some of we Protestants don’t agree with her doctrinally. But I don’t think of her as being Catholic. I just think of the stories I have read about her love for Jesus. She and the sisters dug dying folks out of the sewer and brought them home. The sisters then cleaned the maggots off of them and put clean clothes on them. They gave the sick a safe place to die in dignity surrounded by love.
I know when I homeschooled, we were always studying the life of the Patriots. Most of them were Christians. I know George Washington was a believer. God’s hand was on him. But as a young teacher to my children and their mother, I wanted to read more about President Washington’s doctrine. But now as i am older and wiser i think about how he changed his country. The doctrine has to be some of who we are. But our works as wives and mothers must be most of who we are. Few people will remember us by saying “Mom had her doctrine right. She believed the rapture would come first then the tribulation” or the other way around or whatever. Our works should shine out in this society and after they see our works they will ask “I wonder what this great woman of God believed in?” Our works must shine on Christ and glorify Him first.
So we see a mother who goes to church all the time to get away from her stupid husband and crying children. Well, they drive her nuts and who could blame her? She thinks she is following God because she goes to church all the time and sits under the Word of God. She comes home at noon and expects her husband to have fixed lunch for her and the children. After all, he was here all morning doing nothing. And the folks at church tell her that she has a right to be upset as she is being persecuted as a Christian.
But the true Christian mother may get up early on Sunday and fix a wonderful dinner before she goes to church. And when she gets home she just heats it up. And mother makes it a fun and happy day for the family. And some day her family looks back and says,”We always had so much fun on Sundays. Mom always had such a nice Sunday afternoon meal. And we played games in the afternoon. And remember how Mom never missed church? She was a wonderful Christian Mother.”
And the children begin to study Mother’s life even long after she dies. As they grow older they understand her more and more. Her witness is strong, long after she has gone to heaven. Her life leads her children to Christ because they follow her and remember her and they see folks like her. And they start remembering again that they were homeschooled and all the things Mother taught them, and her life is to them a library of teachings and Wisdom. And in death she becomes what they weren’t ready to hear from her in her life. But Mother remained faithful, and her last thoughts before she goes on to her eternal home is “Lord please care for my children and their families”. And the Lord says to her “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
I can hear my children in years to come. “Well, Mom never gave up our baby sister Mary, so I guess I won’t give up on my kids either.” And in our society things could be a lot worse then Mary Elisabeth has been. A mother teaches all of her life by example. In her worst hour, she teaches by her example. Mother never will truly relax and sleep until her babies are all safe and in Gods hands. Folks come along and try to get Mother to unburden herself. But Mother can’t lay her baby down. She might wish she could. She might say she has. But she won’t lay her burden down completely until that child is safe.
I was the same way about Jim. If he had never been set free, I think I would still be carrying that burden. We do lay the burdens down to rest a bit but I don’t think we ever truly lay our loved ones down at the cross, turn our backs and walk away. As I prayed and wept for Jim many years ago, I didn’t know it, but I was laying a foundation of faith that would teach my children. Jim loved our kids and forgave them always as I forgave him.
Our actions as mothers is like a book written. We are living now a memory that our children will have of us some day. We will carry Christ to them even in our death. Their memories of us will show them the love of Christ or they will hate our God. The images of mother in their hearts will either give them courage to face this world ahead of them or it will cause them to cower in fear and give up. Mother can influence a coming generation as she lives in strength and dignity in front of her family. Her moral character and faith that God has given her can bring back a 30-fold or 60- or 100-percent blessing. Or she can bury her talents. But it is her works that glorify God to her children, and to her children’s children. As she lives, she builds a Temple of Spiritual Wisdom and as she dies her children observe it. And if she did her work well, later on her children will teach it. Proverbs says, “Forsake not the law of thy Mother”. Let us live Lord so that our lives thru love will produce a law of righteousness that will live to many generations.
And I see so many of you mothers as you stand alone in your wilderness. No true mother of God behind you, and a family out of control in front of you. But stand firm, dear Mothers, and be full of courage. Make laws of righteousness and virtue. Be mothers of valor who can fight a war alone. With God all things are possible. Having done all to stand. Stand therefore. The battle is the Lord’s.
Love, Connie H.
Subcribe to Connie’s Yahoo group Hidden Wisdom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hidden_Wisdom/
