A Courageous Mother

Posted On May 10, 1999

So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ‘Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.’ And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. – Exodus 1:22 – 2:4 NKJV.

We know the story, baby Moses was found by Pharoah’s daughter. Jochebed, the mother of Moses, was hired to nurse her own child until he was old enough to live with his new mother. Jochebed was a courageous mother who would stop at nothing to save her child. There are still courageous mothers, courageous women today. During the past week I have seen many examples. One in particular stands out, the example of Kathleen Walton.

Kathleen and her son, Levi, were traveling on H. E. Bailey Turnpike near Newcastle, Oklahoma a week ago on Monday. That’s when they saw the tornado. Looking for a place of safety they stopped under an overpass. They scrambled up to the top of the underside of the overpass where there was a tiny crawl space. Two women and two men were already squeezed into the crawl space. Kathleen helped her son up into the place of safety but there wasn’t time or room for Kathleen.

Kathleen held onto her son’s hand as the front wall of the tornado passed by spewing debris. Then it was calm for 20 seconds. During those 20 seconds Kathleen comforted her son. She gave him advice and told him, “Whatever you do, hold on.” She quoted Scripture to him and the last words she said were “I love you.”

The back wall of the tornado hit even more fierce and powerful than the front. Then Kathleen let go of her son’s hand. If she had held on her son would have been swept out with her. She gave her son advice, quoted Scripture, said, “I love you.” Then, she sacrificed her own life to save her son. Kathleen Walton was a courageous mother, a courageous mother who demonstrated it under the most difficult circumstances. In those few seconds she left a legacy and a lasting impact upon her son that will follow him the rest of his life.

The actions of Jochebed had a lasting impact as well not only upon her baby, but upon all people of faith, and have been remembered by all generations since. What impact will your actions, your words, your life have upon your family and those around you?

(Thank God for Courageous Mothers!)