15 MARCH

A MOTHER’S LOVE

“When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.” (Proverbs 31:26–27, NLT)

“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” (Proverbs 31:29, NLT)

Dr Benjamin Carson always attributes his success in life to his mum, Sonya Carson. “I not only saw and felt the difference my mother made in my life, I am still living out that difference as a man,” he once said. Dr Carson is a renowned neurosurgeon, best– selling author, former Republican presidential candidate in the United States (2016) and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Trump administration.

Sonya lived out her motto: “Learn to do your best and God will do the rest.” She used this philosophy of life to motivate her children to success. She put her total self into making sure her sons did their best in school by setting rules and boundaries and speaking words of hope and encouragement into them. She believed in them and in the best for them.

With perseverance, Sonya Carson overcame hardship, poverty, single–motherhood and depression to work hard to raise two sons in the inner city. Oftentimes, she worked long hours and two to three jobs to sustain herself and her children. Her relationship, faith and dependence on the Lord gave her the wisdom to raise her boys to become very successful men.

ACTION: As a parent, endeavour speak words of encouragement to your children and to your spouse.

PRAYER: Lord please give me words that build up–words of hope; words of life; words of God’s promises and the ability to use them!