“Whose Shoulders Do you Stand On?”
T. L. Cuyler said, “God made mothers before He made ministers; the progress of Christ’s kingdom depends more upon the influence of faithful, wise and pious mothers than upon any other human agency.”
Who has had the most influence on your life?
Is it not your Mother?!
We are all a reflection of our mothers and their powerful influence!
Abraham Lincoln once said, “All I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
When my father left us for heaven five years ago at 93, my brother-in-law wrote a tribute that ended with the question, “Whose shoulders are those upon which you stand?’ It comes from the Latin, “Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes” which translates, “Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants”!
Well…my mother is a giant!
She is an incredible human being. She is a motivational force to be reckoned with that has always been a beacon for me when I have wanted to falter. She is my hero. I confidently step into the footprint she leaves behind. Her vision for my success has been constant and her sacrifice on my behalf over our years together is more than praiseworthy. Her loyalty and encouraging words, “You can do it, Jackie”, have been a consistent inspiration.
My mother is noble and has learned God-control and the blessing of surrendering to Him. She is the woman my father had confidence in all the days of his life. She is resourceful and no one can out-shop, or in her younger days, out-walk her. My wise Mother influenced some of the most important decisions my Dad ever made in business.
She is tenacious and never gives up if the cause is worth fighting for! She is generous and compassionate and still looks over all of us with intense personal interest and care.
She is clothed in strength and dignity. Her courage these last years with my fathers passing, after 72 years of marriage, has been exemplary and a wonderful testament of her patient endurance. Her stretching toward the cross in times of deep loneliness, speaks to each of her four daughters of her immense capacity to trust her heavenly Father.
Her back door humor is renowned in our family and we can always count on her to make life fun for us. She is soft-spoken and gentle in nature, but bold as a mama bear, if you touch one of her babies, grandbabies or great-grandbabies.
Proverbs 31 speaks of a virtuous woman. We don’t know her name or what she looked like or her personality. We learn of her inner character.
My mother is being praised today for her inner character, not her activities or physical beauty (although she is beautiful, as her picture declares!). I am addressing the eternal accomplishments of her soul and the heritage she carries and leaves behind for us to follow.
Words fail me when it comes to expressing my gratitude for my mother… she is so much more than words…I cannot imagine my life without her! My journey and the power of her influence on my life will be a forever blessing. I am honored and privileged “to stand on her shoulders”. Look down there, under your feet…
On whose shoulders do you stand today?
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
