Mommy's Favorite Book

 

When my mom was battling cancer 3000 miles away from me in California, a wonderful thing happened. The ladies who lived on my brother, Brett’s street came to welcome and visit with their new neighbor. They invited my Jewish mama to their bible study, where they introduced her to her Jewish Messiah, Jesus!

I would call Mommy on Monday nights – you still had to pay long distance phone charges back then – and I began to read to her over the phone. I chose my favorite book of the Bible, Hebrews, written from a Jewish perspective, since I thought she would identify with that New Testament book more than any other.

We had only gotten through a few chapters when I got the call from my brother, Brett, that Mom had passed.

I had visited Mommy once in California, accompanied by my sister, Roberta. My brother, Timmy bought both of our plane tickets so we could go. One of the neighbor ladies came with me and my sister to visit Mommy in the hospital. Knowing that her daughters needed to needed to hear from Mommy’s own lips about her encounter with Jesus, the neighbor asked Mommy point blank, “Doris, did you receive Jesus as your personal Savior?”

And I got to hear Mommy answer, “Yes I did!”

But after she passed, I began to doubt. Did she really meet you, Jesus? Is she really in heaven with you now?

My big brother, David was a missionary in Irian Jaya while Mommy was battling cancer. We contacted Dave overseas to let him know Mommy wouldn’t be around much longer and could he come home to see her. Mommy hung on a couple more weeks while Dave made the arrangements to travel home.

Dave was one of the last persons to see Mommy before she died.

So I decided to call Dave with my doubts. I was already crying and could hardly speak when I heard Dave’s voice on the other side of the phone.

“Dave, I need to hear something. I need you to tell me about your visit with Mommy before she died. Did she really know Jesus?” I managed to croak out into the phone.

Dave got it. He’s smart like that. “I asked Mom if I could read from the Bible to her, and she said yes. Then I asked if there was any part of the Bible she would like to hear.”

Now Dave didn’t know that I had been reading Hebrews to Mommy over the phone the past several Monday nights.

“She asked me to read Hebrews.”

Then I knew, I knew she had fallen in love with the God of her people, and her Messiah, Jesus.

“I read her the entire book all 13 chapters.”

So, all that to say I loved the book of Hebrews before Mommy died, but after she passed, I loved it even more. And I know I’ll be reading to her again when I join her one day in Glory.

And just this month, I’ve been studying Hebrews again, coming home to that familiar place I fell in love with so many years ago. Watch my blog for future posts from my, and Mommy’s, favorite book.