Steve Alessi: Author of Alessi’s Angle, Pastor of Metro Life Church in Miami, Husband of World Renown Worship Leader Mary Alessi and Father of Four.
Whoever is faithful with little will be ruler over much - Luke 16:10
Mother’s Day is only four days from now and it's always about right now that I begin to think about how I'm going to celebrate my mother this year. And to be completely honest, I start to think what I myself want for Mother’s Day :). And today, while browsing through all the beautiful pictures of mothers, daughters and wonderful families on our “Me and Mom” Facebook Page, I began to reminisce.
I was reminded of the day at the age of 10 when my sisters and I were chasing each other in the backyard playing hide and go seek. (A game I hated because I always gave my position away and Martha ALWAYS caught me.) I was so determined not to let Martha catch me this time that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running and at full speed I smacked right into an old, rusty, dangling clothesline. The metal end went directly into my eye and back out again. The force of it sent me back and stopped me dead in my tracks. I knew this could be bad so I did what kids do, I screamed "MOM" and ran inside to show my mother what had happened. (I was a little afraid to tell her because sometimes we got in trouble if we got hurt because we couldn't afford accidents. Some of you know what I mean.)
Now my mother has always been a woman of faith. The fact that her first name is Faith is a testament to who she was, is, and always will be...faithful. She was faithful to trust and believe God for children and adopted my sister when she was 4 days old. She was faithful to trust God to leave the promise of future children in His hands and my twin sister and I were born 3 years later. When I think about my mother this phrase comes to mind...."be faithful with the little". She taught me a valuable lesson at an early age. A little prayer may seem small momentarily but in reality it is a GREAT BIG ACT.
Back to my story. When I ran into the house holding my eye I was met by my mother with a sound of concern in her voice. Mothers know immediately when it's just a scrape or when it’s something more serious. She looked at me, pulled my hands away from my face, and with the force of a mama bear gripped my forehead with one hand and under my eye with the other. She yanked my eye open, looked at my eyeball, and did what she knew to do. I'll never forget it when she said these words over my eye. "JESUS, Mary's eye is hurting and we don't have money to go to the doctor! So, right now in the Name that is above every other Name.....heal my daughter’s eye!! She followed that prayer with a mother’s kind of medicine, blowing in it and flushing it with water and sent me on my way.
Two years later at the age of 12, she took my sisters and I to be fitted for glasses. I'll never forget when the doctor took the machine and began to examine my eye. After a few minutes of looking he stopped and asked me, "have you ever had an accident with your eye”? By that time I had forgotten so I said "No". My older sister spoke up and said "yes she did, she ran into a clothesline two years ago". And it was at that moment that I had my first experience with what my mother had taught me....to be faithful with the little. The doctor took me by the hand and walked me out into the lobby where my precious mother was waiting. He looked at her with amazement and said these words. "Your daughter should be blind in her eye because of where the damage took place. Did you know that she had that kind of injury?" Her reply was simple, "I knew she had gotten hurt but we prayed over her and trusted God that she would be ok". "Well, she's more than ok"' the doctor said. "She's healed! The kind of injury she sustained in her eye should've blinded her! It could have spread to her other eye as well! Do you realize the miracle of this?" To which my mother replied, “Well, I gave my children to the Lord the day they were born and I've trusted Him with them for the big things and the little things and He's always been faithful”.
And there it is...Moms as you approach Mother’s Day this year focus on one thing, being faithful with the little. Little prayers, little words of encouragement, little moments of time spent with your children. It's not always the big things that really matter anyway. Give your children to the Lord and as you are faithful to Him, He'll always be faithful to you.
Mother’s Day is only four days from now and it's always about right now that I begin to think about how I'm going to celebrate my mother this year. And to be completely honest, I start to think what I myself want for Mother’s Day :). And today, while browsing through all the beautiful pictures of mothers, daughters and wonderful families on our “Me and Mom” Facebook Page, I began to reminisce.
I was reminded of the day at the age of 10 when my sisters and I were chasing each other in the backyard playing hide and go seek. (A game I hated because I always gave my position away and Martha ALWAYS caught me.) I was so determined not to let Martha catch me this time that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running and at full speed I smacked right into an old, rusty, dangling clothesline. The metal end went directly into my eye and back out again. The force of it sent me back and stopped me dead in my tracks. I knew this could be bad so I did what kids do, I screamed "MOM" and ran inside to show my mother what had happened. (I was a little afraid to tell her because sometimes we got in trouble if we got hurt because we couldn't afford accidents. Some of you know what I mean.)
Now my mother has always been a woman of faith. The fact that her first name is Faith is a testament to who she was, is, and always will be...faithful. She was faithful to trust and believe God for children and adopted my sister when she was 4 days old. She was faithful to trust God to leave the promise of future children in His hands and my twin sister and I were born 3 years later. When I think about my mother this phrase comes to mind...."be faithful with the little". She taught me a valuable lesson at an early age. A little prayer may seem small momentarily but in reality it is a GREAT BIG ACT.
Back to my story. When I ran into the house holding my eye I was met by my mother with a sound of concern in her voice. Mothers know immediately when it's just a scrape or when it’s something more serious. She looked at me, pulled my hands away from my face, and with the force of a mama bear gripped my forehead with one hand and under my eye with the other. She yanked my eye open, looked at my eyeball, and did what she knew to do. I'll never forget it when she said these words over my eye. "JESUS, Mary's eye is hurting and we don't have money to go to the doctor! So, right now in the Name that is above every other Name.....heal my daughter’s eye!! She followed that prayer with a mother’s kind of medicine, blowing in it and flushing it with water and sent me on my way.
Two years later at the age of 12, she took my sisters and I to be fitted for glasses. I'll never forget when the doctor took the machine and began to examine my eye. After a few minutes of looking he stopped and asked me, "have you ever had an accident with your eye”? By that time I had forgotten so I said "No". My older sister spoke up and said "yes she did, she ran into a clothesline two years ago". And it was at that moment that I had my first experience with what my mother had taught me....to be faithful with the little. The doctor took me by the hand and walked me out into the lobby where my precious mother was waiting. He looked at her with amazement and said these words. "Your daughter should be blind in her eye because of where the damage took place. Did you know that she had that kind of injury?" Her reply was simple, "I knew she had gotten hurt but we prayed over her and trusted God that she would be ok". "Well, she's more than ok"' the doctor said. "She's healed! The kind of injury she sustained in her eye should've blinded her! It could have spread to her other eye as well! Do you realize the miracle of this?" To which my mother replied, “Well, I gave my children to the Lord the day they were born and I've trusted Him with them for the big things and the little things and He's always been faithful”.
And there it is...Moms as you approach Mother’s Day this year focus on one thing, being faithful with the little. Little prayers, little words of encouragement, little moments of time spent with your children. It's not always the big things that really matter anyway. Give your children to the Lord and as you are faithful to Him, He'll always be faithful to you.
Happy Mother’s
Day!
Powerful words passed down from a faithful Mother to a listening daughter who turned into a faithful Mother who has listening daughters and I have the privilege of seeing three generations of powerful women in your family. Thanks for sharing!
WOW !!! - I had never heard that story. That is AWESOME!!!
Faith is an amazing woman; and that is seen in the generations that proceed her. I also have a great mom and an awesome wife who loves my boys like no one else ever will. I got to spend some time with my mom last week for no reason and got a history lesson of my family tree on her side...it was impromptu and pretty cool. Ahhhh... the little things.
Happy Mother's Day to all...
I am right now in a be faithful in the big things with my daughter,I gave her to the Lord when she was 2 (she's 11 now) and though I got lost for a while, I came back, stronger than ever and my faith in His care will not waiver. I know if I am faithful, He is faithful and my beautiful girl is going to be not just fine, but amazingly blessed and favored. We have a long road ahead of us, we have some fences need mending and our hearts need healing but I am sure of the outcome whatever the road. Thank you for sharing your insight. God bless you.
Thank you Pastor Mary! It's hard to leave them in God's hands sometime because we think we can do it just fine. But we are nothing without His guidance and discernment and strength and grace and mercy and I could just go on and on about how much we need Jesus in our life as Moms!
Wow! This story alone makes this Mama's Day memorable. Thank you for sharing. Happy Mother's Day, Pastor Mary!
This was lovely. Happy mother's day pastor Mary.