welcome back for this month's illuminated word project. if this is your first time joining me, please read here to find out what this project is all about. this month the topic of servant-hood has been on my mind often. i 've been thinking of ways that we can serve others more as a family. my husband and i really want to demonstrate the importance of servant-hood in our Christian walks to our children. we desire to teach them the importance of putting others before themselves while striving to be Christ like in all things.
as i think of servant-hood my mother-in-law, mita, immediately comes to mind. she is such an amazing example of selfless living for others similar to Jesus. her whole life is about putting others before herself with the desire to display her love for them. i pray my children will see this example and want to live like her. additionally, she inspires and challenges me.
my father-in-law, pito, is living with Alzheimer's and as of recent it seems to be getting worse. in the year we have lived at home, i have witnessed the effects it has taken on our mita. she is one of the strongest people i know and ultimately gets her strength from our Lord and Savior. i watch her as she serves pito daily caring for his every need and i can only imagine the pain she feels in the moments he looks at her and asks who she is. through the heartache she remains strong; she smiles and she rejoices in the moments she has with pito still in her life. even in the midst of all this hardship, she chooses to continue to serve everyone around her. she does this without ever making her own needs known. her life is such a living example of how Christ tells us to live and a vivid reminder that this world is not about living for ourselves. it's about others.
this month's scripture i've chosen is:
Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
one of the many ways mita loves to serve is through her cooking. this week she came over and cooked with my oldest daughter ellie and me. through these pictures you can see the mutual love and joy of grandmother and granddaughter making lifetime memories together.
as mita and i were finishing up the cooking i saw my oldest in the family room carrying out her own acts of service for our family and my heart was so touched. she was sitting with pito and showing him our family photo albums. i heard her asking him if he knew who various people in the book were-- including herself. my heart sank a little when i heard him answer no. but as i kept listening, i heard as she explained to him who everyone in the family was and how they were related to him. she did this with such love and patience and in that moment i saw my 8 year old being like Jesus...
i'll leave you with this song , Live Like That, by Sidewalk Prophets. listen closely and i pray the words would challenge you as they have me.
please continue with our blog circle and see what Rachel Chaney has on her heart this month.