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Judging the contest was found to be both a difficult, and a blessed task for our judges. It was difficult to choose only one out of so many beautifully written stories, and it was truly a blessing to read through the essays that reflected the heart of God in the lives of so many women. Six judges were involved in the three level judging process. Those judges are:
After finding so many mother's that have affected the lives of women through active faith, it was a difficult process to narrow the entries down to one final choice, but we did. That winner is Holly Baxley of Texas, with her essay entitled, "The Legacy of Prayer." ______________________ Judges Comments:
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Without further ado, we present to you, ___________________________________ The Legacy of Prayer We gathered in a circle around her, as she sat on a mahogany dining room chair. Many hands were laid on her head and shoulders, as my sister and I knelt on the floor in front of her holding her gentle hands. We were praying over her because we found out her cancer was terminal. While others petitioned God, I opened my eyes, stealing a glance at this precious woman, sitting so demurely. Tears trickled softly down her cheeks, but not from pity or anger. I knew that the last person she would ever cry over would be herself. Her sorrowful, heartbreaking tears were over our pain and grief, not her own. Even though her eyes were closed, she must have felt me glance at her, for she gently withdrew her hand from mine, and placed it on my head and stroked my hair. The tears that I had tried to choke down turned into a sob. So I buried my face in my mother’s legs. Those who had been praying for her stopped momentarily. It was too much for all of us to take in. And that’s when Mom began to pray and thank God for each of us in turn. As I listened to her, a relieving peace entered my heart. And it seemed I was not alone - for those gathered around her were experiencing the same tranquility as well. My grandmother was no longer shaking, and my sister was smiling through her tears, nodding her head in agreement as Mom prayed. After the prayer time was over, my mom looked down at me, still sitting by her feet on the floor. I managed a wobbly smile, as I couldn’t trust my voice. It would have betrayed my feelings. I looked behind her to the row of pictures on the fireplace mantle. My eyes settled on a picture of a smiling high school couple. The young man stood close to his date wearing a black tuxedo with bow tie and cummerbund that matched the young lady’s southern belle formal. As Mom looked toward the picture too, her eyes brightened. “I’ll never forget the day I brought you that dress. Wasn’t that amazing? How good God is to us!” Wrapping her arms around my waist, she gave me a strong hug, despite her fragile condition. And we reminisced about the day the dress came our way. It was a week before the Junior/Senior banquet and I was feeling dejected. I had been searching for a formal to wear, but due to our budget on Mom’s single parent income, an affordable one was not anywhere to be found. Sensing my discouragement, Mom read from one of our favorite passages, Psalms 37. She told me that God took great pleasure in delighting our hearts, even in the small things in our lives. She said, “We’re going to pray that God leads us to the perfect dress for you!” “ But isn’t it more important to pray for God to meet our needs?” I countered. “This is more of a want than a need.” “She cheerfully replied, “You may see this as a ‘want’, but I see this as a ‘need’ for you to know that God will provide for you.” She grabbed her prayer journal and jotted down the date and the request that God would provide a dress for me. And then we held hands and prayed. She went to sleep confidant that God would honor our prayer. And I went to sleep feeling guilty for praying for a dress. The next afternoon, she asked me if money were no object, what kind of dress would I like to have? I explained the style to her, to which she replied, “Could you draw it for me?” I drew a southern belle type of dress, with ruffles across the top and bottom and explain that I wished it had a bustle in the back with a long silk sash around my waist. She stared at it and asked in a voice that trembled, “What color would you want this dress?” “Sky blue”, I replied. And with that announcement, her eyes opened wide as she exclaimed, “Wait right here!” and she bounded out of sight. A couple of minutes later she was back, flinging something in my arms. It was a beautiful sky blue formal in the exact style that I had just drawn! “Go try it on!” she urged. It fit perfectly. “You know what the best part is?” she beamed. “What?” I asked incredulously. “I got it for five dollars from Goodwill.” She shared how during her lunch hour, she felt impressed to stop by Goodwill and see what they had. On a rack toward the back, she spied it. “I knew in my heart that this was the one. And to think, we even have your drawing to confirm it! God provided for us, Holly! I told you He would give you the desires of your heart. All we had to do was pray in faith.” Pray in faith. That had always been the heart of my mother’s life. Whether it was to pray for a dress for her daughter, or to pray for the salvation of a friend, she never wavered in her belief that God would come through. He always had and He always will. As she continued to hold her arm around me as we looked at that snapshot of His faithfulness from the past, she whispered, “You will always know of God’s faithfulness and love, because I’ve prayed that over you. It’s written in my prayer journal and I know will it continue to be answered each and every day.” Now sixteen years later after her death, I continue to write in prayer journals of my own. Recently, my four-year-old daughter snatched the current one off my nightstand. She held it up. “Mama, whaz this book?” And as we snuggled together, I explained the legacy her grandmother had left for both of us.
____________________________ CWO would like to thank our sponsors for the following contributions:
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CWO Cover
Bonnie Hooley
