NEW HUDSON – Unsteadily, she lowered herself to the floor and shakily took a pitcher of warm water and poured it into a ceramic basin. Gently, she lifted each one of my feet and placed them in the basin full of water. With tears in her eyes and a quivering voice, she began praying for me as she washed my feet.
“Dear Lord, thank you for my dear sister. Tara, The Lord your God is in your midst a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness and will quiet you by his love, he will exult over you with loud singing.” Her precious prayer over me continued as she prayed and read scripture. Zephaniah 3:17 was our verse. She always prayed this with me and ended all her cards or notes to me with this verse.
Nancy is her name, and I consider my relationship with her to be one of the greatest gifts God has given to me. Despite her chronic pain and difficulties with mobility she continually showed me how to love sacrificially and would instill godly wisdom into me. Nancy was more than just a mentor, she was an answer to many years of prayer, asking that God would provide a mother figure in my life.
As a young wife and mother, I would question my abilities to love and serve my family well and also serve my church community whole heartedly. My relationship with Nancy is a testament to God’s provision. In her, I found a motherly figure that I have always desired to have, she taught me humble servanthood and sacrificial love.
I will never forget the day that she washed my feet. A couple months prior, Nancy had extensive back surgery. Her washing my feet was pivotal in my understanding about sacrificial love. Despite her brokenness and pain, she remained steadfast in her obedience to her Lord. Her strength and ability to love and teach well was nothing she could do on her own, her physical body was literally broken, however she relied on Christ daily.
Through Nancy, God revealed what sacrificial love is. It’s not just putting the needs of others before your own, it’s something much greater. Being able to show sacrificial love is rooted in having an abundance of joy. Joy found only in knowing Christ, relying daily on Him to sustain you through every trial, hurt and pain. A genuine joy where Christ is your treasure above everything else and others identify this treasure in you and desire to have that same closeness.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us honor not only the mothers who nurtured us, but also spiritual mothers and mother figures who have helped shape us because of their obedience to Jesus.
May we be able to teach our children, and influence others just as Nancy has taught and influenced me. Dear Lord, thank you for the readers of this article. Reader, the Lord your God is in your midst a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness and will quiet you by his love, he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Happy Mother’s Day! May your lives continue to be a testament to the transformative power of Jesus Christ, and may you be blessed abundantly for the sacrificial love you so generously give.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Ford is a wife to Nick Ford and a mom to 6 amazing kids. In 2002, Nick and Tara moved from Southeast Michigan to Arizona where Nick pastored for 20 years. During that time, Tara served in various roles in the church, however, her greatest joy was being able to come alongside women to disciple and teach them how to apply and pray the Word of God. Tara never thought that her family would leave Arizona and the church that they loved. However, in 2022, God relocated their family to New Hudson, Michigan to plant a brand-new church called Mission Church. Tara received her undergraduate degree from William Tyndale College in 2002 and will be graduating in October 2024 with a Master’s in Behavioral Therapy. She plans to someday provide biblical counseling for marriages and families.