A MOTHER’S FORETHOUGHT

It hadn’t entered my mind, but when my brother Harry revealed his suspicions, I had to agree that he was probably right. Mother apparently plotted against us without revealing her intentions.

There never was any doubt that she wanted us to be Christians. Bible reading, a chapter of Hurlbut’s Story of the Bible, and prayer every night. Coupled with this was regular attendance at every worship service, Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night. Nor did we ever miss a Gospel Meeting or Revival. If the doors were open we were there — even the Sunday morning when I fell out of the car, went to the doctor’s office, had my chin laced up with stitches, and my head wrapped as a mummy. Dad and I may have been a little late, but we were present and accounted for.

I remember when I was baptized. I had been invited to my uncle Norman’s house for a week. I did not know that he was preaching in a Gospel Meeting, or that I would be attending church every night. During the course of that week I made my confession of Christ.

In visiting with my brothers last week, Harry remarked, "Did it ever occur to you that every time we visited our cousins, a Gospel Meeting was going on?" (We had three uncles who preached — Herbert, Bill and Norman Gipson.) He continued, "I was baptized by Uncle Herbert while I was at his house and he was preaching in a Meeting. Mother was obviously seeing that we got the preaching we needed."

Now that I think about it, I am convinced that Harry’s appraisal of our mother is right. She was using every power at her disposal, including that of family members who preached, to bring us to Christ.

Who knows what thoughts and plans lurk in the heart of a devout mother?

John Gibson