{"id":1271,"date":"2014-12-25T08:28:48","date_gmt":"2014-12-25T13:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/?p=1271"},"modified":"2014-12-26T07:37:15","modified_gmt":"2014-12-26T12:37:15","slug":"the-gospel-of-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/?p=1271","title":{"rendered":"The Gospel of Mom"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n\"The<\/a>\n

I\u2019ve told many stories and written many posts about my Dad. Folks who know me \u2013 particularly my family \u2013 have heard these stories many, many times.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve rarely written or told stories about my Mom.<\/p>\n

And that is just the way I think my Mom would like it.<\/p>\n

Many\u00a0people write about their Moms and Dads in saintly terms. But for those who were fortunate enough to know my Mom, few would argue that Joyce Johnson, daughter of Ola and Clarence, big sister to Dale and Beth, wife of \u201cJ. E.\u201d Johnson, and mother of Steve, Janet, Jim and Jerry, was as close to the model of true Christian living as this world has ever seen.<\/p>\n

My mother taught me many, many things. All were\u00a0taught by example. She gave few lectures. When around her you watched, you marveled, and you began to understand what words \u201ccharacter\u201d, \u201cvirtue\u201d, and \u201clove\u201d meant.<\/p>\n

Among other\u00a0things, Mom showed me the way of:<\/p>\n

Extreme humility<\/strong>. My mother\u2019s humility was breathtaking. It was so vast and deep it is even now hard for me to capture into words. In every thing, in every aspect of daily life, she put herself last. The most horrifying thought for her was that she might be an inconvenience to others. For Mom, it was never about her. She always focused on \u201cthe other\u201d whether that be family (most often) or anyone else that might be within her tender reach.<\/p>\n

Constant service<\/strong>. My mother was constantly serving. The only time she sat\u00a0down completely for a meal was at a restaurant. Whether at her home or someone else\u2019s house, she\u2019d sit long enough to be polite but soon\u00a0slip quietly away to fill a glass, replenish a plate, wash a dish, prepare for the next course. There was a fascinating calmness to it all. Even in daily life, Mom\u2019s movements were measured, efficient, and meaningful. She was constantly in motion, working in a simple, methodical and purposeful way.<\/p>\n

Quiet resolve.<\/strong> Before there was \u201cno drama Obama\u201d there was my Mom. Underneath her generous, quiet and humble attitude was a rock-hard steeliness and resolve that defined indomitable. Once set, her direction never veered. She epitomized\u00a0\u201cendurance.\u201d Nothing caused her to waver \u2013 neither the burden of physical pain nor the lure of physical comfort. Whether it was past the well-meaning entreaties of her children and family, or the challenges posed by\u00a0new places and new faces, Mom\u2019s course never faltered.<\/p>\n

Understated bravery.<\/strong> \u00a0Mom was brave. \u00a0Not in the way that\u00a0Hollywood likes to define it. \u00a0But in its truest sense. She dared to do things that frightened, intimidated and outright scared her. \u00a0From crossing the Pacific on a rusty military boat, alone with three children, two of whom\u00a0were in diapers to moving to a new state, and a new community,\u00a0alone, after losing\u00a0her\u00a0beloved\u00a0husband of forty plus years. \u00a0She faced things she feared without fanfare, fuss, or\u00a0complaining.<\/p>\n

Universal kindness.<\/strong> In my fifty-eight years of living, I cannot remember or recall my Mom saying an unkind word about anyone. Ever. It is an incredible claim but amazingly true. To be sure, there were things people did that she disapproved of (and I know there were times when I fell into that category!). And occasionally she would let you know that. But even then, her words were so tempered, her manner so understanding, her objections so qualified and understated you had to search and be attentive just to realize that she felt something amiss.<\/p>\n

Unshakable faith.<\/strong> Mom\u2019s faith in Jesus was simple, direct and unshakable. It is said that there are five Christian gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the life of the Christian. People rarely read the first four. I was blessed with the fifth gospel. The Gospel of Mom. With Mom there was no need for complicated systematic theology. We are all equal, all created in God\u2019s image. We are called \u201cto act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.\u201d And the reconciliation of justice and mercy lie in the person of Jesus Christ. \u00a0A life of grace, forgiveness\u00a0and sacrifice.<\/p>\n

Unfathomable love.<\/strong> You can wrap all of the above up in a single word. Love. Never have I seen or experienced human love that rivaled that of my Mom. This was particularly true of the love between her and my Dad. Mom’s\u00a0love was the perfect mixture of adoration, passion, respect, kindness and devotion.<\/p>\n

Thousands of years ago God reached out and gave of himself to redeem humanity. In the form of Jesus, God gave us a real living breathing reflection of God\u2019s true nature. So I believe it only appropriate and a fitting interpretation of God\u2019s will, that Mom was called Home at the same time we celebrate God\u2019s ultimate gift.<\/p>\n

Mom left us yesterday, Christmas Eve 2014.<\/p>\n

I spoke with her briefly that morning. \u00a0Amidst all the pain and difficulty of her final hours, Mom\u2019s last words to me were \u201cMerry Christmas!\u201d<\/p>\n

That said it all. Uplifting humility. Abiding faith. Enduring love.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d Mom.<\/p>\n

You were God\u2019s greatest gift to so many of us.<\/p>\n

We will miss you.<\/p>\n\"Mom<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I\u2019ve told many stories and written many posts about my Dad. Folks who know me \u2013 particularly my family \u2013 have heard these stories many, many times. I\u2019ve rarely written or told stories about my Mom. And that is just the way I think my Mom would like it. Many\u00a0people write about their Moms…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[130,136],"tags":[155,137],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1290,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerrysjuicebar.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}