My mom hasn’t dedicated her life to missionary work like Amy Carmichael.
She’s never wrestled her way through social or gender barriers like Catherine Booth or Antoinette Brown Blackwell.
She’s not a mystic or a visionary like Teresa of Avila, nor a political leader like Fannie Lou Hamer.
She didn’t found a college like Mary Lyon or Mary McLeod Bethune.
She didn’t save thousands of lives as a nurse like Florence Nightingale or a doctor like Ida Scudder.
She never moved to India or Africa or Argentina; in fact, she’s lived all her life within the same ten-mile radius.
My mom’s name won’t go down in history. She won’t be remembered for any one “great thing.” Hers was, and is, a quiet faith, lived out in small, humble, almost unnoticeable acts of love and service.
And yet, my mom is my faith heroine – and the person to whom I dedicated 50 Women Every Christian Should Know
I wrote in my memoir, Spiritual Misfit,
I sometimes joke that I must have been painting my toenails the day the Holy Spirit dished out faith, because I seemed to have missed the boat on that fruit of the Spirit.
But not my mom. She has been generously blessed with the fruit of faith, among her many other gifts.
Even though I can’t always relate to that kind of steadfast faith, I have admired my mom’s quiet commitment to God for a long, long time. Though I didn’t share it, and at times questioned the possibility of its existence (at least for myself), my mom’s deep, unwavering faith somehow steadied me along my own spiritually fraught journey.
My mom’s belief in God and in his ever-present goodness offered me both stability and hope — hope that I might someday believe in God too.
I’m willing to bet that you have a faith heroine in your life – someone who has influenced your faith journey, offered you spiritual wisdom or guidance, helped you to grow closer to God or inspired your faith in some way.
We want to hear your story! Tell us about your personal faith heroine. She can be a person from the past or present; a famous figure or someone with whom you have a personal relationship (like the story I wrote about my mom, above); a person still living or someone long-deceased. Tell us how she influenced you; how she helped shape your faith life; the kind of role model she was or is.
Enter the #MyFaithHeroine Contest!
1. Blog about your own personal faith heroine anytime between October 1 and October 22.
2. Include this statement anywhere in your blog post: This blog post is part of Michelle DeRusha’s #MyFaithHeroine contest, in connection with the release of the book 50 Women Every Christian Should Know. Find out how to participate here.
3. Share your post on Twitter and/or Facebook and tag it with #MyFaithHeroine.
4. After you post your blog and share it via social media, officially sign up for the contest using this short form. You MUST fill out the form to participate in the contest – but it’ll only take you like seven seconds, I promise!
5. The week of October 27, members of the marketing team at Baker Books and I will announce three winners. These three winners’ blog posts will be featured on my blog. They will also receive a signed copy of 50 Women Every Christian Should Know, a set of eight note cards, and a $25 VISA gift card.
Note: You do not need to purchase 50 Women Every Christian Should Know to enter the #MyFaithHeroine contest.
This is precious, Michelle. My Mom is much like yours – her hospitality (an open door to everyone), calls and letters of encouragement have blessed more people than we’ll every know. It is encouraging to know a quiet life can bear great fruit for the kingdom.
Oh Awesome inspire me Lord Jesus with the gift of Your perfect Holy Spirit to put myself out there like my sister in Faith Michelle!
Thank You Michelle for showing us in the middle of doubt we can still do it. Amen.
I just received my autographed copy of 50 Women I am so excited! It came on a day I really needed a lift and I did not realize till later that you had signed it. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
What a cool contest and even better a beautiful tribute to your mom!
Your mother has been such a great example of a life lived with faith and of living a faithful life. I think your life looks a lot like hers, Michelle! I would put my mother in the same category. You are I so extremely blessed!
Love
Lynn
Lovely, Michelle. Posted on FB and Twitter tonight and wrote a post, too. It’s up now, but I’ll promote it tomorrow – missed the October 1 instruction – sorry!
Michelle…This is just plain beautiful and inspiring. I hope and pray I have been this kind of Mom to my own two. It’s really hard when we see our grown children faltering and stumbling along in life’s stresses, and we just want to say, “Lean hard on Jesus. He can help you and He will help you.” So simple and yet so hard at times. Especially when we also get loaded down by life and fail to take our own advice.
My poor Mom wasn’t like your Mom. She did come to faith in Christ at about 40 years of life, but in our damaged and broken family, she buckled under the sadness and betrayal in her life. She died of a broken heart at 44–way too young! Yet, she always revered the Word of God, even buying all 5 of us kids our own Bibles one Christmas. This is how I knew That Book was unlike any other. And I am eternally grateful for that. It was a testimony.
Michelle,
What a lovely and fitting tribute to your mom…you’re both blessed 🙂
There were many women who have influenced me in my Christian walk. My mom was primary though. She was someone who read the Bible and active in her church. I remember the year when I was about ten years old, during Lent, my mom read the story of Jesus and his death and resurrection to me and my siblings. I realized how important it was to her that we know about the basics of our faith. When I had questions, she always answered as best she could. She and my dad always took us to a youth group at church. I felt the faith of my mother was key to my acceptance of Christ during my freshman year of college. I was always very open to the teachings of the Bible but never felt its relevance to my daily living. When confronted by a Christian worker on campus, I became aware of my need for Jesus to guide me and give me wisdom in what I would do with my life. I have been following the Lord for many years and have been blessed to fellowship with my mom until her passing this past July, 2014.
I don’t have a blog, but my faith heroine was my Nana. When I was a small child, my sister and I would sit with my Nana in her bedroom and we would take turns reading a verse from the Bible. She teased me about me teething on the church pew as she took my sister and I to church every Sunday. What has stuck in my mind and heart all these years is the time I passed her bedroom and she was kneeling by her bed praying for me. When she died in 1997 at the age of 103, I wrote a poem about her prayer for me – Nana on Her Knees.
I loved this story, Michelle. What a precious mother you have! I’m sure she was praying for you to have a steadfast faith for a long time. And her prayers have been answered!
Blessings,
Janis
Thanks for the lovely invitation. Now, to narrow it down to one person (I have several, each putting a different element into my life). I will get writing today. God bless you in this. I look forward to reading your book of inspiration. Norma