Things My Mother Taught Me

by Cindy McCormack

Offspring. A term that needs defining. An offspring is the result of a DNA combination from a mother and from a father. Along with this DNA, parents offer their offspring life of combined influence. As the child (or offspring) grows they become a lot like their parents. They become like their parents in physical ways, for example, in the way they talk or walk. They also become like their parents in the way they live or the choices they make. Ultimately, the mother or father’s influence over the child results in the parents becoming a part of him or her.

For me that is good news. That is good news because my mother is a virtuous woman. The result of that influence over me has been my own virtuousness, also present in my sisters. I am well equipped for life. I exercise godly wisdom in the hard circumstances in my life, when I could very well fail to foolishness if I didn’t possess it. I hold fast to foundational principles like honesty, kindness, servitude, a positive attitude and having the right spirit. These character traits keep me safe and truly guarantee God’s blessing when I am confronted with trials and temptations. I’m learning quite well how to use my resources and to work hard with what I have. When I am in need I know to have faith, because God is going to be faithful to me and will supply my every need.

Mainly through my mother, I have learned through the years to trust God. She is gentle, and she knows how to communicate well with other people. I have noticed over the years that she is silently, faithfully, and patiently demonstrating her commitment to each person in our household (Mike our Dad as well) to bring them closer and closer to Jesus. Through her, over the past five years, I have come to know the best thing I can ever possess in life: a relationship with Jesus. I would like to say: My cup overflows everyday of my life. I’ve become like my mother. My commitment to Jesus has been a result of her own commitment to Him, her acknowledgment of His lordship in her life.

In closing, I would like to quote from Proverbs 31:25-31: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Where Does Your Determination Lie?

by Cindy McCormack

I have always been an extremely determined person.  This determination is no normal determination, it screams from within my soul.  It says, “THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO, AND THIS WHAT I’M GOING TO DO”.  One time when I was younger, I was playing with a bunch of kids at a friend’s house and some of the older boys there were picking on me.  Being a very young and determined person, I said within myself, “I am not going to put up this.”  Then we started to play a game of tag.  In this simple game, it is all against one.  That means that one person must pursue the rest of the people and tag one of them.  The one tagged is then “it” (the pursuer).  I was tagged “it” by the older boys, and then they started to josh me around.  “You will never catch us little girl”, or, “You are like a small doll,” and they would dodge from side to side as I tried to lunge at them.  That is when I became determined.  I threw off my shoes and ran with all of my might.  I was running alongside one of the boys, and I couldn’t quite reach him.  I could feel the determination screaming from inside of me, “TAG THAT BOY”.  I felt like I was flying, I never ran that fast.  I was shocked with myself and was scared to go faster.  But I was so determined, and I pushed my legs as hard as I possibly could find within myself to do.  That’s when I tagged the boy.  He was overwhelmed and embarrassed, and then started to rationalize, “I didn’t even try”.  The truth is I had really done something amazing. I, a young girl, with incredible determination, outran a seriously faster, bigger male.

Perhaps you can relate. I would like to believe that most of the time, we are quite determined—determined to finish a project at work, or, in the student’s case, a paper or a test.  Maybe someone had gotten into a dispute with a coworker, and was determined to clarify his pure intentions.  It could be the same scenario at home with a brother or a sister.  The determination might be to help someone, or to stay away from something that could bring one down, like a particular place or certain people.  What I’m trying to say is, think of a situation where you feel the extreme drive of determination, similar to what  I wrote about in my story.  Determination is quite second nature to some; it’s probably less pronounced in others.  God empowers us to pursue things with determination. In Hebrews 12:12-13, we find these encouraging words: “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

Our Unalienable Rights

by Cindy McCormack

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.“ Do these words ring a bell?  They should, for they are part of our country’s Declaration of Independence.  The Americans suffered endless hardships to become independent from Britain; many of them starved and froze to death.  These people had one thing in mind:  they wanted to obey God.  Once they had become separated from England (Great Britain) they began to build our country’s foundation on God’s principles.  The young American children’s first textbook had a Bible verse to be learned for every letter of the alphabet.  They had declared that you must be a member of a church in order to be a citizen voter.  It was unanimous; this nation was founded under God.

Today, in 2009, it is clear that we have wandered away from our roots.  The name of Jesus is mocked on television, and in the media in general.  Children are taught that mankind was descended from monkeys, and that earth came from a big bang in outer space.  WHAT?!  America is in a recession, and families are being torn apart because of financial issues.  Girls are actually starving themselves to look pleasing or acceptable in front of their peers or men.  We seriously have a problem.

I cannot say that I am much different from the “Americans”.  My roots are in a good Christian family.  My mom has very, very faithfully served Jesus for my whole life.  I had at one point in my life decided that I wanted to do the same.  My foundation was set.  Over a course of about 10 years I wandered away from my roots, and like many of my fellow Americans, pursued happiness in all the wrong places.  At that time my life went downhill, and I was in absolute despair.  I went about my days blindly, never realizing that I was a person of great worth to God.  I felt like I was less than I actually was, and that was just normal to me.  I felt I wasted every minute of that time.  It wasn’t until I had really gotten myself into such a bad mess that I begged God for His forgiveness.  I truly asked the Lord for His forgiveness, and started to obey Him.  I began to know happiness, and realized the beautiful person that He made me.  There are no words that I can use to describe how awesome that choice has been for me.

Unless America makes a determination to go back to her roots, we will see more bad days.  It is true, we are endowed by our Creator with the unalienable right of Liberty. That liberty needs to be exercised in daily choices to honor and obey Him.