My Mom excelled at baking bread. When we walked into her house, the yeasty smell of hot bread and coffee lured us to the kitchen. Slices of warm bread slathered with butter accompanied by a cup of coffee would be devoured by our family. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my Mom’s breadmaking expertise. My mom taught me many lessons in my life, but I never learned to bake bread.a

Of course, it wasn’t for lack of trying.  She tried to teach me, but yeast was my enemy. Mom even passed along a jar of sourdough starter that I managed to murder the first week. Thankfully, the life lessons my Mom taught me were much more important than breadmaking.

Since my Mom’s death in December, I’ve spent time sorting through photos and memories of my Mom. As I’ve walked down memory lane, I realized that my Mom’s most significant influence came not from her talk but from her walk. My Mom modeled how to live a life that followed Jesus.

Mom took all three of us kids to church anytime the doors were open. Attending church was a priority. And she didn’t just attend; she was active and involved. I can’t remember when my Mom wasn’t teaching Sunday School, working in VBS, or teaching women’s Bible studies. My first date was with a boy in her high school Sunday School class. I married that boy!

Her ministry regularly extended beyond the church walls. I remember Mom loading several sewing machines and all three of us kids in the car. Then driving across town to an economically depressed neighborhood where she taught ladies to sew. Accompanying her across town and watching her demonstrate love to these ladies helped me learn compassion for those in need and poverty. I don’t remember my Mom ever talking to me about the “why” of these trips; she just modeled how to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

One of my Mom’s greatest joys involved teaching English to international students. I have to confess as a teenager, I didn’t understand my Mom’s love for her students. One day I picked my mom up after she’d eaten lunch at a  student’s home. When she sat down in the car, a terrible smell filled the car. I hollered, “You reek! What is that horrible smell?” She explained that her Korean student had served her kimchi, and it was a smell that definitely stuck with a person.

Eventually, I began teaching at the literacy school with my Mom, earned certification to train new teachers, and directed a literacy school. My Mom showed me how to appreciate people from other cultures, and then God prepared me with skills that I used in ministries across three countries. And, I learned to love kimchi!

Once, my Mom told me that it took almost ten years of teaching before she saw a student accept Christ as Savior, but then the floodgates opened wide. I often recalled her words as I struggled to share God’s love in a cross-cultural setting. I learned the importance of perseverance in the Christian life from my Mom.

As a child, my Mom never suggested that I should be a missionary. Now I realize that she modeled a missional lifestyle for me. These lessons played a vital role in my missionary career.

As parents, we need to realize that some of our children’s greatest lessons come from the life we model rather than the words we speak. Yes, there is power in the spoken word, but words lose value if they don’t match the example lived in our everyday lives.

“Words lose value if they don’t match the example lived in our everyday lives”

So mothers and fathers, remember that your children are watching you. Of course, none of us are perfect, and my Mom certainly made her share of mistakes. But some of my Mom’s most significant lessons came not in words but in living an everyday, ordinary life given to God.

The lessons my Mom taught me prepared me for life. And I loved that she always welcomed me home with fresh hot bread & butter, coffee, and lots of love.