Life Talk

Nanny's Pace

Scripture: Proverbs 31:25-26

Devotional:
It's the time of year when we all reflect and show gratitude to mothers, grandmothers, or even someone who has been a motherly influence. When I read the scripture from Proverbs 31, my thoughts immediately turn to my grandmother, Margaret. She was called "Sister Margaret" by many, but I knew her simply as "Nanny." She had some health issues and couldn't walk very fast, and she didn't drive, but it never slowed her pace in ministering to others. She never made anyone feel like an inconvenience. Many times as a child, I'd walk through the house and find her alone in her room, talking on the phone with someone, weeping and praying for them.

The cashiers at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store also knew her as a prayer warrior. She always had time to encourage someone and tell them about the goodness of God. God used my Nanny in spite of her health issues and her inability to walk very well. In fact, I wonder, would she have reached as many people with the gospel of Jesus Christ if her pace had been faster? She may have appeared physically frail or weak, but she was clothed with strength and dignity. She put action to her love for others.

Living directly beside the church we attended, having guests in our home was a constant. It was never a question of whether we would have company after church, it was simply a matter of how much chicken Margaret would cook and how many biscuits she would need to put on the pan to feed everyone. Her mind was always on serving others and pointing every situation to Jesus Christ.

Margaret was a mother to many, not just her own children. She was a mother to the motherless. She loved everyone through the storms, no matter how different or how scarred. Regardless of anyone's opinion of a person, regardless of what rumors were floating around or what reputation someone carried, she served them a hot plate and shared the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She instructed people with kindness and gave unbiased, godly counsel.

Margaret wasn't just my grandmother, she was my godly counsel and my intercessory prayer warrior. She taught me that no matter what inabilities we have, our situation is our platform. Sometimes we just need to slow our pace, as Margaret did.

My wonderful, loving grandmother went on to be with the Lord in 2015. Her Bible was passed on to me after her funeral. In the bottom right-hand corner, an engraving reads "Sis Margaret." She left this world leaving me with truth to cling to, pointing me to Jesus.
I see many of those same gentle and caring qualities in my wife, Caroline. Margaret never got to meet my wife or my children, but I know she would have had no problem adding one more piece of chicken to the oven and one more biscuit to the pan. Margaret passed away on April 6th, 2015. Caroline and I were married on April 6th, 2019. God has a way of sustaining us and showing us that, as His children, He has His hand on our lives.

I now get to see my children being led by a godly mother. I now get to see my wife instruct our kids with kindness and point them to Jesus Christ. I now find my wife alone in a room late at night, praying and studying the Word of God. I now see the Lord using my wife to provide meals to the less fortunate. On this Mother's Day, I am grateful for godly mothers. No one can have the impact that a godly mother has on a family. One thing I learned from my beloved grandmother: your situation is your platform to minister. Sometimes we just need to slow our pace to allow God to use us.

“ I love you all to pieces, and I love the pieces too” - Margaret Panter