Participants: Kathy Matthews, Arlita Winston
Series Code: TAH
Program Code: TAH000123
|
00:31 Welcome to "Thinking about Home."
00:33 I am glad that you decided to be back with us 00:35 today. I'm Kathy Matthews and we've been 00:38 talking about mothers who have been 00:41 relinquishing their selfish rights by choice to 00:44 realize their full privileges, but what do 00:48 we do when it appears that we have no choice? 00:51 Our guest today again is Arlita Winston and 00:54 I want to thank you Arlita, Thank you, 00:56 for joining us one more time. 00:57 There will be a couple of more time, 00:58 won't there? Yes, I look forward to it. 01:00 Yes, we've got more to share with the folks. 01:05 You were telling us Arlita that your mother and 01:09 you and your family were in the jungles of 01:12 Sumatra and surely there were times when 01:16 your mother felt helpless out there. 01:19 Yes, I think. Can you tell us some of those stories? 01:21 I think she felt helpless even before they left 01:24 but it was one of those things that they knew 01:26 that God called them and they had such great 01:29 joy in going that they saw each aspect as 01:35 one more new step to trust God and I think 01:39 of a verse that really typifies mothers and 01:41 dads going out and that is in Luke 9:24, 01:45 "For whosoever wants to save his life will lose it, 01:50 but whoever loses his life for me will save it." 01:54 And it's a great principle that mother and dad 01:59 had throughout their life but I can think of 02:02 numerous occasions when they did feel utterly, 02:04 utterly helpless there in the jungles. 02:07 And one in particular was when my older 02:10 sister who was about 3 ½ or 4 at that time 02:13 who was died of dengue fever. Dad didn't know it. 02:18 He had been out in the jungles for about 6 weeks 02:21 trekking, looking for more tribes to tell the 02:24 good news to and mother had been holding down 02:26 the florida at home and when he got home, 02:30 he was so looking forward after that long trek 02:33 in the jungles to be home with his children 02:36 and mother. And mother met him at the door with 02:40 just anxiety written all over her face 02:43 and she said, David, Andrea is having 02:46 convulsions and is in just such high fever. 02:50 I think dengue fever has come and many were 02:53 dying of dengue fever. Dad rushed in and 02:57 pulled away the mosquito netting around 03:00 Andrea's bed. And the two stood there utterly 03:04 helpless as Andrea was going through a 03:06 convulsion at that moment and the fever was 03:10 so high. Dad slipped into another room and 03:18 fell on his knees and he just began to cry out 03:21 to God. God, have somebody, 03:25 somebody at home pray for us now, 03:28 please spare our daughter, we've come out here 03:31 to bring the good news don't take our daughter 03:34 now and he was just crying out this way to God 03:37 when God stilled his heart and said to him, David, 03:44 I have other children, but I don't hear you crying 03:48 out for them, all over this world I have other 03:53 children who are precious to me. 03:55 Do you forget that I too am a father? 03:58 I wish you would be praying for your children, 04:01 for my children as much as you pray for yours. 04:05 Why you prayed for your children long before 04:08 they were even born. You ask me to give them 04:10 an excellent spirit and things like that. 04:13 But would you pray for my children. 04:18 Dad was convicted and repented on the spot. 04:21 He got up off his knees and went to mother, 04:25 just whispered quietly to her the words that God 04:28 has spoken to him and he put the mosquito netting 04:32 all the way around the bed and left Andrea. 04:35 They went and fell on their knees before God. 04:37 The sun was just setting in the jungles at the time, 04:41 he knelt before God and he began praying 04:43 around the world for God's children name by name, 04:47 country by country and in the early hours 04:52 of the morning when the sun was rising, 04:55 they suddenly looked at each other, 04:56 realizing they had prayed the night through 05:00 and was Andrea still alive. They didn't know. 05:03 Did they jump up the around and see. 05:04 And they jumped up, ran in, pulled away the 05:08 mosquito netting. The fever had broken and 05:11 Andrea was sleeping peacefully. 05:14 In the next three hours the fever completely 05:18 left her. Amen. And she woke up and she said, 05:22 I want my shoes on. Precious words. 05:26 That it was a beautiful illustration to me of those 05:30 times when everything is taken out of our hands. 05:33 We can't do anything else. Where do we go? 05:36 What do we do? Is it safe to trust our children 05:41 into his hands even to the point of death of 05:48 saying God, alright, you've put this burden 05:51 on my heart I am going to pray for your 05:53 children. Amen. That is good that he took up 05:56 that burden. It was probably the saving 05:58 of his daughter. Do you think? It wouldn't 06:00 surprise me, God does things like that. 06:03 You know your mother was giving up motherhood 06:09 maybe when she pulled that netting back 06:12 or when they pulled the netting back. 06:14 They would have to be thinking a great deal 06:16 of what they were doing. That's right. 06:19 When they pulled it back, facing the possibility 06:22 that she wouldn't be a mother for her anymore. 06:25 That's right. I can think of oh, the best example 06:29 in the Bible, of Mary, the mother of Jesus releasing 06:34 her son. What had to go into that process of her 06:41 doing that? I think of that first time we are 06:47 only given about 8 or 9 pictures of her in the 06:53 New Testament but they are very significant 06:57 because they show the same relinquishing, 07:03 starting from the very first where you see her 07:06 as a very submissive maiden, young, 07:10 younger than I think we realize they were 07:13 married much younger at that time and here 07:18 she is met by the angel of the Lord who gives 07:24 through this news, not to be afraid but that God 07:29 himself wants to be born in the flesh through her, 07:37 what a staggering, staggering message for 07:39 a young woman who is about to be married and 07:44 what she had to give up, what she had to 07:46 surrender, was her reputation? Yes. 07:51 She, I imagine wondered what Joseph would think? 07:54 Would he believe her? Would he believe her? 07:58 And in that marvelous statement where she says, 08:03 in Luke 1:38, in answer to the angel 08:07 "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; 08:12 be it unto me according to thy word." 08:17 This absolute surrender that I believe God must 08:20 have been looking for in looking for that 08:22 right maiden that absolute surrender. 08:26 And she must have displayed it else, 08:29 she wouldn't be the mother of Jesus and however, 08:32 whatever you think of Mary the important place 08:35 that she has in God's plan. You still have to say 08:40 she only did what she was asked to do, 08:45 which is no different from what you and 08:46 I can respond to. That's right. 08:49 That when we're asked to do something from 08:51 the Lord, to give up something in order to 08:55 receive something greater, for us to say, 09:01 be it unto me, here I am, I am yours, 09:05 I am your handmaid of the Lord. 09:08 So that's the very first picture that we see 09:11 of Mary at that very beginning where she 09:13 relinquishes so much and then accepts what 09:18 God has for her, and then we see her, 09:21 the next time we see her is with Elizabeth who 09:25 immediately recognizes. She is the mother of 09:28 the Lord. How is, this the mother of my Lord 09:32 should come to me, and Mary in her tremendous 09:36 humility just bursts out with her rejoicing 09:44 and singing about what the Lord has done 09:46 for her and I've often thought she must have 09:49 been well acquainted with Hannah's song 09:51 of rejoicing. They had to be and for them 09:54 to well understand the scriptures so that she 09:57 knew about well something of what it was 10:00 the Lord was asking her to do. Well, 10:02 the Holy Spirit obviously moved on her to burst 10:04 out that way. That's right. Maybe, 10:07 maybe she didn't understand the fullness 10:10 of what she was doing and talking about. 10:13 I don't think she understood the fullness, 10:16 in fact, I think it only gradually came to her 10:18 and probably most women in that time who 10:22 were longing to bear the messiah, 10:26 had they known the kind of sort that would 10:28 pierce their own heart. Maybe they wouldn't 10:31 involve belonging text that. I can understand. 10:34 That savior to bare but the next time we see her 10:40 is after she leaves Elizabeth, 10:46 she goes with Joseph, of course mean time the 10:53 angel has reassured Joseph and they're going 10:56 to Bethlehem and you find the shepherds they 11:01 are worshiping the babe in the manger 11:04 and you don't read too much about Mary except 11:08 that she kept all these things that pondered them 11:12 in her heart. Right. So you get another picture 11:14 of a woman who realizes there are something 11:17 far too sacred to talk about, far too sacred, 11:22 and I think we as women can learn something 11:24 from that and ponder things that the Lord 11:28 has spoken into our hearts were so prone 11:31 to just share with everybody. 11:33 These priceless gems that the Lord speaks to us 11:37 and I think we do well to ponder them because 11:39 of the impact that they're going to have 11:41 on our life. Here this little babe and the 11:44 Shepherds coming to worship and adore 11:49 this babe, then very soon after that 8 days later, 11:56 it was the custom, they needed to go to 11:59 present him at the temple and here is where 12:03 you really begin to see the sword that is going 12:07 to pierce, that is going to pierce her heart. 12:10 And there is a scripture that says that very thing, 12:12 isn't there? Yes, as Simeon prophesied about 12:15 the rising and the falling of many because of the 12:20 coming messiah, he says "and a sword will 12:23 pierce your own soul too." Luke 2:35, 12:30 that sword was to pierce in other ways because 12:32 very soon after that Herod of course was so 12:35 terrified that a new King had been born that he 12:38 commanded that all the babies under 2 12:41 would be slain, so can you imagine Mary's heart 12:45 as she is hearing the heart cry of other mothers 12:49 who are having their baby slain for the sake 12:53 of her son and when you think that those really 12:57 are some of the first martyrs who died at 13:02 that time in order that our Lord's live would be. 13:05 I never looked at that, would be saved, 13:08 martyrs and that Mary might have been thinking 13:12 that they are dying because of my son who 13:15 I never thought of that. So from hereon with 13:19 Mary's life we're gonna see the sword piercing 13:21 her heart and in many ways we as mothers 13:26 can learn from the way the sword pierces her 13:30 heart because now that the next time you see 13:32 her is when Jesus is 12. Alright. And you really 13:38 there are about 30 years there of total 13:40 silence except for this one experience where they 13:43 go up to the temple, he is 12-years-old but you 13:48 see Mary as a very typical mother, 13:51 rebuking her child in love for causing them 13:54 worried and why weren't you with us and he said, 14:01 did you not know I needed to be about my father's 14:04 business and so you see the sword beginning to 14:07 cut the apron strings. And it occurs to me 14:10 that she did not as a typical mother, as a, 14:14 well, I think she would probably not be as 14:16 typical mothers of today but as a mother she 14:20 did not hide him from that experience, 14:22 she didn't draw back, she didn't keep him from being 14:26 the son of God. No. She didn't try to do that 14:29 it seemed. That's right. But after that occasion 14:34 Jesus go back and submit himself in obedience to 14:38 his parents and life when on pretty much as 14:41 usual but it was the beginning where Mary had 14:44 to realize there is a cutting away here. 14:48 He is no longer just our son. He has to be about 14:52 his heavenly father's business and of course 14:55 that corresponds with the age when Jewish boys 14:58 were bar Mitzvahed, when that became the time 15:01 when they were totally responsible now to God. 15:04 As man. And their parents were to release them 15:07 to be accountable too God. Alright. 15:10 And we're rather slow in doing that I think we as 15:15 mothers want to hang on to our children much 15:18 longer. Well, it wasn't like they worked under 15:20 their father and mother's care I mean Christ stayed 15:23 in the care or in the home of their parents, of 15:25 his parents up till the age of 30. That's right. 15:28 So they may have release him into the father's 15:31 care or taught him new and different things 15:34 as a young man but he wasn't God out 15:36 of the home. He didn't become independent. 15:38 No, no I don't think so at all but there is a way 15:43 that a mother can release her child even while 15:47 their in the home and under the roof. 15:50 I think they are needs to be that gradual releasing 15:52 them to God so that when they do leave they 15:56 really have left and a mother's heart 16:00 can be at rest. Now, in Mary's case, 16:03 he did stay there until he was about 30 and the 16:06 first we see him leaving is at the wedding of Cana. 16:10 Right. And here another sword pierces. 16:15 So this is another area you have in Mary's life. 16:17 This is another area and it must have been very 16:19 painful discovery because the distance between 16:22 them is growing and she gave birth to him but 16:26 she didn't own him, and she had to ask him 16:30 things at that time. She had asked him and 16:35 then when he answered her, she just turned to 16:39 the servants and she said now you do what 16:40 he tells you to do an she was willing to take 16:43 second place but distance is definitely growing 16:47 at this point. And then we find her in Capernaum, 16:55 and by now I think her sadness has to be felt 16:59 very deeply because she realizes that the people 17:02 in Nazareth are not really believing her son and 17:07 her own children, her own sons who were 17:11 wondering what was so special about Jesus. 17:14 It says they didn't believe him. Brothers. 17:17 Brothers and so here you have Mary that sword 17:21 again piercing her heart because she herself 17:23 knew this was the very son of God who would save 17:28 them from their sins. So you find other areas 17:33 where she must have felt it deeply but in Capernaum, 17:36 that's when she and the rest of the family 17:41 came knocking at the door begging him to come 17:45 and get some rest that he was beside himself. 17:48 He was just worn out and he needed to, 17:51 he needed to come back home and get some rest. 17:57 He was just beside himself and he turns and 18:01 he points to his vdisciples and he says, 18:04 when they say your mother and your brothers 18:06 are out there calling for you and he turns to his 18:09 disciples and in Matthews 12:49, he said, 18:16 "Pointing to his disciples, He said, 18:18 Here are my mother and my brothers. 18:22 For whoever does the will of my Father is my 18:26 mother and my brother." I've put myself in to her 18:32 place wondering, what did he feel like when 18:35 he said that and turned to those who hadn't 18:40 birthed him, who hadn't brought him up and said, 18:44 here are my brothers, these are my mothers and 18:51 so the ties have been severed more and more. 18:55 She is beginning to realize, wait a minute, 18:59 this man will soon become my savior. I am part 19:04 of these disciples and he was no longer 19:08 the son of Mary and son of Joseph. He became, 19:11 the savior and he became known as Jesus 19:16 of Nazareth, right, no longer the son of Mary. 19:20 So you can see the sword just cutting, alright, 19:23 more and more and more away. I see, 19:26 a continual pattern from young maiden to 19:32 where she is now in the story of surrender, 19:35 over and over and over again, completely 19:39 relinquishing each time what she knows. 19:43 And incredibly difficult each time, 19:45 it's not as though you learn once, no, in fact, 19:48 I think, it got harder because then we see her 19:52 John puts it very beautifully. Near the cross 19:58 of Jesus stood his mother. He just says it very 20:00 simply near the cross, there at Calvary and here 20:04 came the final swords blow, completely severing 20:10 it and she must have been thinking of those words 20:14 when years ago she had said to the angel 20:17 and said to God, "Be it unto me according 20:22 to thy word." "Be it unto me according to thy 20:26 word" so that when her son died there, 20:32 she essentially was releasing her motherhood, 20:36 she was giving him up totally, but releasing 20:42 him in order to accept Him as her savior. 20:45 Amen, amen. So that then the natural thing 20:50 that happens of course we know the resurrection 20:54 took place and then shortly after that he appears 20:58 in the upper room and then Pentecost. 21:02 And the last time we see Mary is where she 21:05 is fellow shipping with other Christians and the 21:09 Holy Spirit that at one time hovered over her, 21:18 so that she conceived the very son of God. 21:24 Now that same Holy Spirit is indwelling her 21:28 and the other believers so that what she has 21:30 relinquished his given way to something far 21:34 greater. God Himself dwelling in her. 21:39 It's not just Emmanuel come to us but God in us 21:45 and so you see this beautiful, beautiful 21:49 pattern where if you go back she relinquished her 21:53 reputation, yes, and she accepted God's plan 21:57 to bear his son, then she goes rejoicing, yes, 22:03 so those three things; relinquishing, accepting 22:09 and rejoicing or then you see the next three. 22:13 As she accepts, as she relinquishes that bit of 22:17 motherhood at the wedding accepts a new 22:20 relationship and says alright, you do what 22:24 he tells us to do, I am no longer in-charge here 22:28 and she beings praising her son in public with 22:33 the other disciples. She does. So she relinquishes, 22:36 accepts and praises then again she relinquishes 22:39 her human tie at that time when he says who 22:43 is my mother; is mother and brother. 22:47 And that's sword hits again. Yes. 22:51 But she relinquishes it and accepts standing at 22:55 the cross, she accepts him as her savior and 22:58 then is found rejoicing at Pentecost. 23:02 So you see that beautiful pattern, it is, 23:06 throughout her entire, the life that we know 23:10 about Mary, right. There is this story of 23:18 Corrie Ten Boom that you would like to share 23:20 with us, sure that too because. 23:23 That's does fit in, that fits in wonderfully here 23:25 because when we're talking about Mary, 23:28 relinquishing her motherhood for something 23:32 far greater or being willing to say I give up 23:35 even my motherhood, the highest calling that 23:37 I could have, I give that even up to you to do 23:41 with what you want. I think back of the time 23:45 during the four year period when Joe and 23:49 I were very far away from the Lord, 23:52 and it was a four year period they just near 23:54 killed my mother and father with the anguish 23:59 that we put them through in the alienation and 24:02 during those four years mother and dad were 24:05 just crying out to God for us to be delivered. 24:09 One day mother could stand hardly, 24:12 just couldn't strand any longer and she went 24:14 to her dear friend Corrie ten Boom, 24:17 poured out the story to her and Corrie looked 24:20 at her and she said, Helen, I see you with your 24:23 arms stretched out like this, trying to reach 24:28 around the entire world in your prayers for God's 24:33 children to encompass the needs in your own 24:36 children and your arms are too short they can't 24:40 reach all the way around. She said, I want to see 24:44 you with your hands up this way. 24:47 And she said, that way you release them and 24:50 mother said, Corrie, are you saying then like 24:54 Abraham did with Isaac, of offering up Isaac, 25:00 not understanding but relinquishing what he had 25:03 been promised and Corrie nodded her head, 25:07 said that's exactly it. It's that offering up her 25:11 motherhood to God we aren't able to cope but 25:17 when we offer it to God, God Himself steps 25:21 in and does what we cannot do, I love his name, 25:25 I am when Moses was to go, yes, to Pharaoh. 25:29 He is the great "I am." He was terrified. 25:32 Tell him that the "I am" have sent to you. 25:35 And I used to think as a child, what kind 25:37 of statement is that, it's not even a complete 25:39 sentence "I am" I am what? I am and I puzzled 25:43 over that for so long, and then it came to me; 25:50 I am everything, that is who I am, everything. 25:56 Everything you are not I am. And I think when 26:01 we as mothers who feel that the weight of the 26:05 rearing of our children, rests on our shoulders 26:07 and on our husbands, and there are some many 26:10 single mothers who the weight is so very, 26:13 very heavy, so many were can they turn. 26:20 So many widows. So many widows and God 26:23 is not unmindful, God is not unmindful of those 26:27 of you who are alone carrying this weight and 26:33 the weight is too heavy for you, 26:36 but God is able to make all grace toward you, 26:42 and to give you when you are not able to do 26:44 in yourself, when you offer that situation 26:48 in that child without husband up to him, 26:53 you set him free to do something that is 26:56 magnificent. Amen. Oh! This is incredible insight 27:01 into the story of the Mary, the mother of Jesus 27:06 and we want to encourage, don't we? 27:10 Our viewers to ponder these things in their 27:15 heart. And to have hope. Yes. To have hope, 27:19 to know that God never expected us to be able 27:22 to cope, that was the problem way back in 27:26 Garden of Eden. I think Adam and Eve thought 27:29 they should be able to cope. They wanted to be 27:31 as wise as God to know good and evil. 27:35 Satan promised them even not, they didn't get it. 27:38 They didn't get it. But God has those precious 27:41 things for us, doesn't it? That's right. 27:43 And you will be back again. Thank you. 27:45 Yes, and we're going to be talking next time about 27:49 "Women, as women in society" 27:52 and you won't want to miss it I don't think. 27:54 You will have to join us and we'll be praying 27:57 for you on "Thinking about Home." |
Revised 2014-12-17