An altered soul

by Tami Rudkin
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 2:02 PM MDT

My children have forever altered the landscape of my soul.

Twenty years ago, I gave birth to our first son; that was the beginning of a transformation that radically changed who I was into the person I am today.

And I’m not done morphing yet, I’m sure.

Most of my closest friends have children. Some of them are still young; some have kids my children’s ages and even older. They consume our thoughts, our emotions and our words.

As tiny helpless babes, these human beings captured our hearts. And we have never been the same.

As a result, we, the girlfriends, always are talking about our kids. We complain, a little. Brag, plenty. Cry, occasionally. Laugh, amply. And, question ourselves incessantly.

We just want to do the right things by our kids. Most importantly, we want to raise kids who love God and love others.

To that end, we always are seeking advice and looking for those whom we can emulate as mothers.

One mother I admire is Morrow Coffey Graham, Billy Graham’s mom. Though I don’t believe Billy Graham is perfect, he is a man of considerable honor.

Few men have spoken of Jesus to more people than he, and he has led a life of integrity while so many others have fallen into a chasm of spiritual mediocrity.

So what did mama Graham do to help mold the young boy into the man we celebrate today? In her book, she gives us a peek into one of their most important family rituals.

“My husband and I established a family altar (a daily time of prayer and Bible reading) the day we were married, and we carried that through. In the breakfast room, I always kept a Scripture calendar with a verse for the day. Each morning, we read that passage and prayed to the Lord.

As we gathered at the table, everyone would bow his head and fold his hands as my husband asked the blessing. Often as I packed the lunches, I could hear my husband talking to the children. He helped them memorize literally hundreds of Bible verses.

I looked forward to our evenings together as a family. Everyone gathered in the family room. We did this right after the dinner dishes were put away. It was the best thing in our life, this time of Bible reading and prayer.

I know that today Billy recalls those instructional periods as among the most important in his life, helping him to become saturated with the Bible.”



Many years later, Mrs. Graham accompanied Billy on one of his ministry trips. She was aghast at his hectic schedule and the stress that he encountered on a daily basis.

She wondered (and worried a bit if she is like any other mother) if he could sustain this kind of lifestyle.

The Lord gave her a verse that became her life theme: “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off?”

Mrs. Graham wrote, “I knew God had a long arm; he was wholly trustworthy. I have always had great confidence in the Lord’s watchcare over Billy, and I have not feared, therefore, for his life.”

Three great parenting principles for a mother ever questioning my quest to raise godly children:

1. Take every opportunity to saturate your kids with the word of God. Read it to them, have them read it to you, and let them talk about what it means to them today. Make it relevant.

2. Pray with your kids, and pray for your kids.

3. When you’ve done everything you can, trust God with them. He is, after all, a God near at hand.

My children have indeed altered the landscape of my soul … and I long to make a lasting imprint on theirs.

(Larry and Linda Kloster sponsor this column.)

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