When I asked my mom what photo she’d recommend I use for her birthday post (if you’re gonna post in someone’s honor, you might as well ask them what they want), she chose this one from my wedding day. I instantly thought back to another moment in time when she cast a similar glance toward me: the photo of months-old me (in orange) meeting a little friend. Her gaze remains unchanged.
This isn’t a Mother’s-Day post, but this photo choice represents her heart. She told me, “I love this photo because it shows how I feel: I’m in awe of what God’s doing in you.” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my mother: on her birthday or any day, she lives in awe of what God is doing. In me, in my Dad, in Freedom City Church, in their past churches, in people she’s mentored, in the world — and I can’t think of a better way to encapsulate and celebrate my mom than to share images that capture her essence. She stands out for her single-heartedness in terms of her discipline and focus to seek God’s perspective in day-to-day life. I see her life as an outward gaze, looking at others and marveling over what God is doing in them.
So, Mom, my gaze is on you today in prayerful hope that I will seek the good of others — and their highest good in reconciliation with God — as much as you do. Happy, happy birthday.
