Parenting Is A Lifetime Job

If you are a parent like me you have watched your children are grow in the world we are living in today no matter what age they are. When I held my first son for the first time, it did not hit me right away that he was mine. It wasn’t until he was about two weeks old and crying his eyes out because he wanted me and me alone to hold him. I was overwhelmed with the idea that he would not find comfort in anyone else’s arms but mine. I could not take a shower for more than 3 minutes. I had to scarf my food down because having him cry it out was breaking me. He was getting painfully hoarse as he was determined not to comfort himself till I scooped him up, held him close and softly kissed his face. “Where was this kid’s parent?” I started asking myself. I was barely 24 years old and this baby was entrusted in my care with no map, script, or manual. There was so much more to raising a child then changing diapers and nursing. This parenting task was a lifetime job and I needed to think of what legacy, what life I was going to give this child.

I want to tell you a story of a mother that went through a very uncertain season of her life. At the age of fifty four years old, Rhoda lived on the beautiful island of Jamaica. She was not living in an area that many tourist visited due to the poverty and the lack all around. Rhoda lived off her land for most of her life and did not need to work. Unfortunately, she found herself in her own painful winter season. Sadly, Rhoda had experienced the fear all parents have, burying a child. But Rhoda did not go through that nightmare once. Rhoda was broken when she was hit with the loss of another child. Her 24-year-old daughter was very ill, but did not tell anyone. She went to the hospital but it was too late. What was going to be an even greater challenge was her daughter left behind 4 very young children: 8-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2-year-old daughters, and a 1-year-old baby boy. Rhoda was not going to leave them without care, so when she brought in these 4 parentless children, she started another chapter of mothering again.

Starting Her Legacy

Rhoda was forced to go to work for the first time in the sugar cane fields to support her grandchildren. This was her winter season and it was going to get worse before it got better. Not long after bringing in her 4 grandchildren did tragedy strike again. Her only grandson amongst this tribe was growing ill and fast. Before she knew it, she was burying her grandson shortly after losing her daughter. The pains of these blows were more than anyone could handle, but with the Lord by her side, she was going to make this happen. Rhoda continued working as hard as she could and her other family members joined in to help her care for the lives of these three girls. Her daughter did not take her children to church, so her granddaughters were not accustomed to the idea of God. She fixed that immediately. The girls started going to church regularly and there would be daily readings of the Bible. Every night she called her three beauties into her room and gave them a passages of scripture to read out loud. She did this for two reasons: one, this daily get together reassured her that her girls were reading the Word, but it also helped her as she was losing her eyesight.

This powerful grandmother was also a revolutionary as she felt the call to preach the Word of God at any chance she got. Rhoda made it her business to preach on the street corners, because in those days women preachers were unheard of. She moved in her gift of prophecy regularly as she allowed the Lord to use her to speak words of encouragement and correction to those He brought along her path. Rhoda refused to allow her severe, poverty-stricken state to dictate what she was going to do for God. She opened her home to all the missionaries, evangelist, pastors and their staff when they came in the area. She never turned away anyone because she wanted to bless the people of God. She never took a dime and she made sure to feed everyone that came in three meals a day. Her home was small, so she made her granddaughters sleep on the floor so that every guest could get a soft bed to sleep on.

Rhoda’s love for God was so amazing and passionate that her granddaughters only knew her as a prayer warrior. This woman knew how to pray her heart out. She never allowed the gates of hell to prevail against her as she regularly “stormed into the enemy’s camp and took back what the enemy stole from her.” She prayed for every single member of her family including her three granddaughters. They were her priorities.

God Honored This Wynters Season

Sadly at the age of about 67, Rhoda had a massive stroke and went to be with the Lord. One thing that lived on after Rhoda settled herself in her brand spanking new mansion in the sky, was her prayers. Fifty years after her death, several of her great grandchildren walked in her footsteps and made Jesus center of their lives. One of her great granddaughters is now heading a new ministry helping those who have gone through painful seasons of their life. Rhoda was a perfect example of taking a painful time and turning it into purpose. She prayed to God more during her winter season than any other time of her life and that is why God wanted to honor her. I am honored to say that I am one of her great granddaughters.

Without any knowledge of my great grandmother to this extent, I created the pen name Marsha Winters for the book we wrote instead of using my actual name. I picked those names for silly reasons, but I would later find out that God had a bigger plan when my mother heard what name I picked. To my biggest surprise, my mother told me that my great grandmother’s full name was Rhoda Wynters.

When God gave us the name “Through the Winters” he was really honoring her for her dedication and selflessness to her children and grandchildren. 50 years later, the youngest of the three girls, my own mother, has been the pastor of her own church for almost 15 years. Rhoda’s great-great grand daughter from her oldest granddaughter is a licensed minister and working hand in hand with me in this ministry. Where Rhoda was reduced to the street corners to preach the gospel, she prepared a way for the future generations of women in her family to preach from pulpits, and lead ministries and churches. Every moment she sought the face of God for her kids never went void.

As a mother, I take praying for my children and grandchildren seriously. I want to encourage you to see how important your roles are to not only your kids, but to your grandchildren and even great grandchildren. Take a moment to start your own legacy with your kids, even if they are unborn. Write down some prayers for your descendant that will outlive you. It would be wonderful if you even write some good prayers for others to adopt below because we would love to hear from you.