Advent - "S" - "Sacrificial Servant and Savior"

December 18, 2011

“The son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

In 1984 my mother came to live with us. She was 81 years old when she had a brain aneurysm, which she survived, but it left her a complete invalid. She went from one day being completely independent to the next day being completely dependent. She was in a nursing home in Oklahoma City for six months, where she was slowly and painfully dying from neglect. I determined she would not die there and after several monthly trips to check on her Wendell and I drove to bring her home with us. We made a bed for her in the back seat of the car and wondered if she would even live to get home to Marshall. She was in a pitiful condition and completely helpless, but was so glad to be in a loving, caring home.

I have often thought about why God let her live, but I am assured God wanted to teach me a lesson in servanthood. At first mother couldn’t even stand on her legs so I learned how to lift mother from the bed to the wheelchair. She was completely incontinent so I learned to diaper her, feed her, put on her make up, fix her hair and etc. I remember even giving her a perm in bed (I wish I had taken pictures). I had given myself, and our girls, home perms since I was a teenager. I had inherited my mother’s straight hair, so undaunted I plunged right in. I spread the bed with a large shower curtain and funnelled it over the side and down into a pan to catch the run-off. I turned her sideways in the bed and began with washing her hair, then curling it (that was the trickiest part with her lying prone in bed). After a rather lengthy procedure, Eureka! Mother had curls! We were both thankful for the end results.

The perm was one of many prayerful, experimental procedures to help Mother heal, both physically and emotionally. She finally got strong enough to walk on a walker. She was able to come to the table to eat with us; she could go to the bathroom and take care of her own toiletry needs. The Lord heard our prayers for guidance and strength. It was a precious time learning how to serve and care for Mother. I never regretted one moment that I was confined because of her. I thanked the Lord every day for the privilege of “serving” her after all her years of “serving” me and the rest of the family. She gradually was able to go to church with us in a wheel chair, those were sweet days.

Mother lived with us until her death at the age of 96. She couldn’t see because of macular degeneration, and she was nearly completely deaf and arthritis had twisted and distorted one of her legs where she could no longer walk, but she never lost the joy of the Lord. Wendell and I were by her side during the hours she was dying, to serve, care and pray for her - what a blessing!

Through those years I learned that serving others must come from a loving heart. To love is to give, just like Jesus loved us and sacrificially gave Himself for us. The Lord also taught me that serving others is a humbling experience; you joyfully sacrifice your own time, energies, and personal desires to meet the needs of others. Serving is a rich satisfying experience with many rewards. You have no regrets when you serve with a heart of love (like Jesus). Father, give me a heart like Yours!

“Make me a servant, humble and meek; Lord, let me lift up those who are weak.
And may the prayer of my heart always be, Make me a servant, Make me a servant,
Make me a servant today.”
(Kelly Willard)