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Volume. XXXVI, No. 45 Tribute to My Mother This Mother’s Day is the first I will be experiencing without my mother. As many of you would know, my mom Linda recently went home to glory on 24th March 2022 after a long 7-year battle with cancer.
When our loved ones leave us for heaven, what remains in our hearts is the ongoing love and gratefulness we will always have for them, the many precious memories to treasure, as well as the important life lessons that they have given to us. Through living out her faith in her life, my mom has granted me and my family a godly legacy to cherish and follow. Here, I would like to share three important lessons my mother has taught me which I hope will also be an encouragement to you in your walk with the Lord.
Firstly, her faith in God. My parents came to the Lord in their early adulthood after being invited to church by a close friend. Since then, they have been diligent students of God’s Word and active members in church. Although they faced opposition from their families, they persisted in their faith in Christ. My brother and I have been the beneficiaries and have been nurtured in the faith since young.
While I was going through her paperwork after her passing, I saw her many handwritten notes when she was listening to sermons and Bible Studies. This showed her seriousness and earnestness in learning from God’s Word. She would also often share Bible verses with others. But it was not only head knowledge that she had, she also demonstrated her Christian beliefs and values in how she lived. In fact, it was in her past few years of severe illness where her faith shone even brighter.
It was a big shock to all of us in 2015 when my mother was diagnosed with advanced cancer. As a doctor, I knew that it was a terminal diagnosis and yet she bravely fought on over these 7 long years. From that time, my mom had undergone innumerable rounds of treatment, from hugely aggressive and extensive surgeries to multiple lines of chemotherapy to having to deal with countless complications and hospitalizations. The challenges she faced were tremendous and no one else could truly understand what she had to endure. Yet, in the face of overwhelming tribulation, she remained resolute in her faith.
She admitted that there were indeed moments of discouragement and sadness, however she did not despair or question the sovereignty of God. She was never bitter against the Lord as she knew that He was always in control and had a divine purpose for all circumstances. Instead of turning away from God, she drew even closer to Him, placed herself in His sovereign hands and constantly turned to Him for comfort and strength.
What has personally amazed and touched me is her spirit of thankfulness. She never failed to thank God for every blessing, however big or small. When I looked back at the messages and emails that she has sent to our family over the years, I can see that she always acknowledged God’s role in blessing us. She knew that every good thing in our lives does not occur by chance, but all are gifts from the Lord. Even when she was stricken with a devastating disease, she continued to express her gratefulness to God for all things, even for seemingly mundane matters that we would usually take for granted.
A few days before my mom passed away, her Pastor came to see us at home. Coincidentally one of her sisters was also visiting at the same time. Even though my mom was extremely unwell, she was still trying to witness to her unsaved sister. She also made a special request for her Pastor to preach to her Psalm 23 which she loved dearly. I am sure that this precious Psalm had been a great source of comfort to her. She knew that her Shepherd was leading her every step of the way, even in the “Valley of the Shadow of Death”. During her final hours, it became very difficult to understand her due to her weakness and shortness of breath, but one particular phrase that she cried out clearly was “Take me home”. That was her heart’s desire. She knew that her earthly life would soon be over and she would go to her eternal rest in the arms of the Lord in her heavenly home. She lived out her unwavering trust in God and His promises, even in the darkest of times. She has showed me how a child of God can continue to stay strong in the faith by clinging to Him and His promises, no matter what may happen to them. Indeed, in her long battle with cancer, she has emerged ultimately triumphant and demonstrated that faith is the victory that overcometh the world (1 Jn 5:4).
Secondly, another lesson she taught me was the love for others. Throughout her life, she displayed her love, not only in words, but also practically to her family and friends. Both my parents grew up in very poor families, but they worked very hard over several decades to lift us out of the poverty cycle. As such, she was usually frugal in her personal expenditure, but she would not hesitate to give both my brother and I the opportunities to progress in our lives. She was always willing to tell us that she loved us and did indeed sacrifice and gave her all for her family. We have been truly blessed to have such a wonderful and loving mom. She was always generous to Pastors, Missionaries and those who were needing help.
She also showed her love to others by always striving to be a blessing to the people around her. During her illness, I would often struggle to know how I could encourage her, but yet, it was her that would often be the one trying to encourage me instead. Despite her illness, she was often more concerned about how her loved ones were doing. Many of her friends have told us how my mother would help and support them, even when she herself was sick. There was time when she met a friend of a friend, whom she did not know, to counsel her as she had just been diagnosed with the same cancer as my mom. This person later described her as an angel sent from God.
The third lesson from my mom is her tenacity in life. She lived her life to the fullest and tackled any task with commitment and enthusiasm. She often reminded me of Ecclesiastes 9:10, that “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might”. She would not accept half-hearted effort and was determined to do her best in everything. Even though she had very limited opportunities when she was younger, she did her best at her studies and was able to enrol in psychiatric nursing school where she was awarded the best student nurse and even received an award from the First Lady. In her long career in insurance, she worked tirelessly for the benefit of her clients.
Whenever I tried to complain to her about the difficulties and stress of my work, she would always remind me that it is a privilege to work. In fact, all the way up to the last few months, my mother was still working full time. Even so, she would often tell me that she felt sad that she was not able to work more. There was even one time when she was admitted to hospital with her own health problem but she found that one of her insurance clients was also warded at the same hospital and despite being unwell, she still went to visit him to pass him some forms to complete!
She also took on her cancer with determination and resilience. She was willing to put herself through the most aggressive of treatment to prolong her life. Despite the many complications and set-backs she faced, she continued to fight on and pursue active treatment until all options were fully exhausted. Her Oncologist even called her a “superwoman” and stated that with what she had been through, many others would have given up already. She had far exceeded the expected duration of survival.
Even as her cancer progressed and in spite of the many symptoms she had to endure, she would still endeavour to go out for walks every single day, to keep her muscles as strong as possible so that she could put up with more treatment. She understood that every day of life is a gift from God that should not be taken for granted, and we should use our time and opportunities to the best of our abilities to honour the Lord.
So, on this Mother’s Day, even though I miss my mother dearly, I take comfort in the fact that all her pain and suffering is finally over and she is now enjoying complete bliss in Heaven. For those of us who have lost our mothers, may the Lord grant us His peace and help us to continue to cherish their memories and remember what they have taught us. For those who still have your mothers around, please be reminded that the time that they have with us is limited. Use your opportunities to love, honour and appreciate them. To God be the Glory! |
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