This is an open letter to my mom, Darlene Bradley, who lives in Enterprise, AL.
I just want to tell you how much I love you. I know you have not been felling well the past couple of days and I am praying that God touches you in a powerful way. I wish I could be near you so I could get you some sprite and some chicken noodle soup just like you used to do for me. I wish I could be at church with you this Sunday to give you a hug and a kiss, and tell you that you are the greatest mother anyone could ever ask for. I wish I could just sit and spend the afternoon with you. We could sit and watch a movie and eat some dirt cake (man I love your dirt cake!). I wish we only lived right down the street again, but we don’t, and I can’t spend the afternoon with you or hug and kiss you this Sunday. I can’t do that because the Bible tells me "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6. You have trained me to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and I am trying my best every day. God has sent me across a couple of states and therefore I can’t just tell you all of this that I am writing. God has sent me to minister to a different crowd, but I would have never heard the call if it were not for you bringing me up and teaching me to listen for it.
I was talking with a guy here the other day and I want to tell you what he said to me. He said, “I see the strong faith that you have, and I wish I could have had that when I was your age.” That reminds me of a verse in scripture; 2 Timothy 1:5, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
That faith the man saw would have never been there if it were not for you. Thank you for always teaching me who God is and how to follow Him with all my heart.
Thanks for showing me how to work. You always got up and went to work every morning and you worked all day and most of the night. You were always on the job. Your work was a never ending roller coaster ride with A and me. There are so many things I need to say thanks for but I'll end with this one; thanks for teaching me to love God. I've seen you pour your heart out to God in your morning devotions and in our home and on the street and even in situations where I didn’t even see why you kept the faith. I knew, each time, that your zeal for God was real. I could see that God had a hold on your life and he would not let you go. And I could see that no matter how difficult things became, He was always your source of strength and inspiration. Thanks for showing me that no matter what trials or struggles that I go through, God can handle each one.
I could go on and on listing things that you have done for me but I want to tell you one more thing. The verse that I was reminded of, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
I am blessed to have a mother that would show me how to have faith and I want you to know that one day when you have little grandchildren, I pray that you will remember that their faith is only because of what you taught me. I can't wiat to past down the love of God to my children, and I will be sure to tell them how I learned to have the faith that I do.
Mom, one of my greatest desires is to be like you because you are so much like Him. I love you. I'm proud to be your son. Happy Mother's Day!
