Leaving a Legacy of Faith

MomMeMichelle

Today, I don’t really have the words to express what is going on inside my heart.

Ever been there? Ever felt like you had a million and one things going on in you heart yet didn’t really have a word to say?

I spent most of last week in Washington state with my birthmom, my sister and her family. It was precious time that meant the world to me! 

But my trip was definitely bittersweet to say the least. Painful to tell you the truth.

Unless Jesus chooses to heal my birthmom of the cancer that is ravaging her body, she will be with Jesus soon. Her faith will be made sight and she will never feel another ounce of pain again.

But it’s not easy saying goodbye to someone you know you may not see again this side of heaven. It’s actually heart-wrenching.

But while we were there, I sat with my birthmom laughing about how much I am like her yet was raised in a completely different home.

We talked about how we never stopped thinking of each other…how she never stopped praying for me…how my toes curled in like hers and I have so many of her mannerisms…and how I write just like herwith my left hand, upside down with the paper tilted to the left.

We talked about how she would look at different girls and wonder if they were the daughter she placed in another woman’s arms…and how I would do the same as I looked at the faces of different women whom I thought might be about her age…searching for traces of resemblance.

We reminisced about the day I found her and made that phone call when I was 27 years old.

“Hi, my name is Stephanie Shott and I live in Jacksonville, Florida and I think I’m your daughter!”

Her simple response was, “Oh hi! How are you doing?” as if she was expecting my phone call.

It turns out, she was.

You see, she had been waiting for my call. Three weeks earlier the Lord had impressed upon her heart that I would be contacting her soon.

We talked like we were old time friends. Although I had never really met her it was like I had known her my whole life.

She wasn’t the mom who raised me…and she couldn’t take her place.

She never even tried.

She was the mom who was courageous enough to place me in another woman’s arms knowing she may never see me again, but hoping that she would.

She was the mom who prayed for me almost every day. That I would know Christ and live for Him…and I honestly believe that God heard the prayer of her ‘momma’ heart and answered it on a sweet October day in 1987 when Jesus saved my soul.

She was the mom who continued to pray for me and stayed in touch even though she has three other children who she loves dearly and prays for consistently.

She was the mom who met my mom and thanked her for raising me as they watched my oldest son graduate from high school together.

She was the mom who I struggled to call mom for years. Not because I didn’t love her but because all my life I had only known one mom. But one day, I realized mom was not only the name that fit her best, but the title she deserved.

I may have been raised in an entirely different part of the country, but our hearts were linked.

It’s amazing how we can live separate lives, yet somehow live them together!

She’s my mom. Not the one who raised me, but the one who was courageous enough to let someone else raise me.

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My mom and birthmom enjoying their great grandgirl

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Me and my birthmom enjoying a little cuddling with the grandgirl

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My birthmom showing me our family tree

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Me and my sis, Michelle (She’s amazing! 🙂 )

Almost 3 years ago, I lost my mom to cancer. She was an amazing woman and I miss her every day.

Today, my birthmom is battling cancer and my prayer is that the Lord would heal her body and give her many more years to serve Him.

She has left a legacy of faith worth following. 

My birthmom never traveled the world. She never spoke to the masses from a stage. She never wrote a book that millions of people have read.

She simply loved Jesus, loved her family and loved others. And she did it all with a gentle spirit and her walk matched her talk.

But she prayed for EVERYONE she came in contact with. She got their names. She wrote them on her prayer list. She never forgot them and she never stopped praying for them.

She shared Jesus with just about everyone she met. Whether she was in the grocery store, sitting in a doctor’s office or checking out the local garage sales, she shared Jesus with others and asked how she could pray for them.

Yeah. She left a legacy of faith worth following.

And I pray the Lord gives her many more years to continue living out loud for Him.

And me? Well, I want to be like her when I grow up!

QUESTION: WE ARE ALL LEAVING A LEGACY…GOOD OR BAD. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BE SURE YOU LEAVE A LEGACY WORTH FOLLOWING?

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If you’d like to know more about how you can help change the world one mom at a time by beginning a M.O.M. Mentor Group, visit The M.O.M. Initiative at http://www.themominitiative.com/join-here/.

If you are interested in having me come speak at your next event, or share a message about mentoring, how you can begin a M.O.M. Mentor Group or one of my other speaking topics, please feel free to contact me by clicking this link.

7 Comments

  1. This is beautiful!! I am very glad I read this it touched my heart!! I will be praying for your birth mom!

  2. Lost my mom to cancer three years ago. Every time I would leave the house she would always wave and blow me a kiss. Every time. I can always close my eyes and see it. Thank you for sharing such beautiful and touching personal feelings. They help to remind me of my wonderful Mom. Praying for you every day and now adding in your mom. Thank you Jesus for giving us love!

  3. You have such a story and a legacy! I know both “moms” were so proud of you Stephanie and look what the Lord has done! What message you have for the right to life..your birthmom make the right choice–for life. Love you and praying for all you have going on right now!

  4. I’m so glad you made that brave call!!! I love you!!

  5. Awesome post, Stephanie. I love the joy you have on your face.

  6. How wonderful to be directed to your writing today, my Mother’s birthday. She would have been 88, but has been with Jesus for 18 months now. Being Mom to 2 adopted children who will most probably never meet their birth moms, your story is very poignant. What a rich heritage you have in both Moms! Thank you for blessing me today. Blessings on you and your Mom.

  7. Stephanie, what a blessing you have by being able to share! The pictures tell a story. Amazing and beautiful Thanks for sharing your heart. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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