I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord

Maybe you have heard me say, "all of this is temporary."  That means that this world and all it has to offer will be gone someday. It means that whether we live to be 40 (as my Dad did) or if you live to be 90 and beyond as my mother is, please be sure that you spend those years, that energy, the life that God has given you in ways that will make a difference for the better.

So many times I have thought -- and said -- wouldn't it be wonderful if our children could learn from what we have experienced and seen in this life? Wouldn't it be wonderful if they would decide to listen to us, take our advice, and have a happier life journey?

Grandchildren, I am writing this blog to you because I want you to consider the value of living a life that is pure and devoted to the Lord. Someone has said "only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."

Let me place before you the story of my mother and her spiritual journey.Certainly, I cannot see her heart and tell you all that is there. But I can do this: I can tell you what she has said to me and I can tell you what I have seen in her. Is she perfect? NO. Have I ever been disappointed in her? YES. Am I sorry she is my mother? NO. Has she been a good example for me to follow? YES.

My mother -- Ruth Geraldine Watson (pictured above at the age of 13) cannot remember a time when she did not hear about the Lord Jesus and about His love for her. Her mother taught her Bible verses and songs (in an off key voice) about our Lord and God. She told me today that she first remembers going to Church when she was only four. She walked about a mile to the Littleton United Baptist Church and attended Junior Church, taught by Lily Shaw -- a very dear friend of Grammie Muriel.

It was in Junior Church as she heard continually of the love of God that her little heart first trusted in Christ. She always loved going to Church and even when children were sick at home she walked and very rarely missed a Sunday. She said that when she was nine years old the pastor spoke to her about what it means to be a Christian and she knew she wanted to be baptized.

Her baptism was at Cary Lake (and that is where I was baptized, also at the age of nine). She said she will never forget that day. As she came out of the water the Christians gathered on the shore were singing, "I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord, O’er mountain, or plain, or sea; I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be." She said those words are burned into her heart even to this day. She took them seriously and lived her life by them.

By the time she was in high school, my mother was teaching a Sunday School class. At her Church she became active in a youth group called "Christian Endeavor" (CE) and became the president. She attended CE conferences at the state level and was a speaker at some of the meetings. In high school at Ricker Classical Institute in Houlton she was involved in Christian organizations. When she graduated with an honor part the topic of her speech was "Keeping Religion in America". At Ricker Junior College she continued in her Christian groups and activities.

She began to date my father, Paul Cain.  His sisters and brothers-in-law were active with the Primitive Baptist denomination and the young couple began to attend quarterly meetings of the denomination. At that point the Lake Road Church had been closed for awhile, but after my parents married they participated with other family members in the reopening of the Church for worship. Mom became the first adult Sunday School teacher and became the Church clerk, a position which she held for over sixty years. She did service as the Church organist for awhile and over the years she has served on several boards and committees.

My mother was involved in youth ministry, especially after she was widowed at the age of 34. She taught a boys' Sunday School class, planned and directed VBS, directed camps at the Saint John Valley Bible Camp, and held a number of different leadership roles in the Youth Temperence Council, Word of Life club and AWANA club. She developed and taught the Junior Church program for a number of years.

Mom was involved in women's ministries, too: the Church ladies' aide, women's fellowship,  and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. One thing I saw her do was make fruit and baked goods to distribute to the elderly at Christmas. That tradition continued until some of the "elderly" were younger than she!

When I was a teenager the doors of our home were always open to my friends. Some of us had a great time playing our musical instruments in the living room, playing board games, making popcorn, and just "hanging out". 

She was involved in Brownies and Girl Scouts, ensured that we had piano lessons, burned the midnight oil with me when I was working on essays for English class, and many other things to enrich and benefit our lives. One thing I will never forget is the beautiful dress that she made for me to wear to a Christmas concert by my high school glee club. It was bright read taffeta with nylon netting. I felt so "fancy" and so loved that night, for nobody had such a beautiful dress as I.

In my mother, I observed a woman who has the heart of a servant. She was always doing things for us, for the Church, for family members, for neighbors. She has always been a woman of the Book, studying with commentaries, concordances, correspondence Bible training, and even some random courses at New Brunswick Bible Institute.

I watched her be a single mother for a time, saw her grief at being widowed, observed her frugal life style, loved her creativity, appreciated her hospitality, learned from her work ethic, and admired her gift of being thankful in all circumstances even when they were hard.

Someday my mother will change her address from earth to Heaven. She will see Jesus face to face and she will meet His eyes and hear His voice as He says, "well done, good and faithful servant." I want to hear those words spoken to me. And I want you to hear them spoken to you. Dear ones, nothing this world has to offer can hold a candle to what Jesus has in store for those who love Him! Go, Do, and Be what He  wants for YOU, too. "It will be worth it all when we see Christ."