Nobody’s A Super Christian

I’m finishing up Billy Graham’s autobiography Just As I Am and came upon an excerpt from his wife, Ruth’s, journal. It reminds me again that I have to leave the salvation of my children to the Lord, but it’s up to me to follow Him in obedience as far as teaching them. Here it is:

“Four full-blooded little Grahams [at the time]. I feel this A.M. it’s gotten quite beyond me. They fight, they yell, they answer back. Breakfast is dreadful. Franklin woke me at 4:15 thinking it was time to get up….And when I did get up at 6:15, so did Anne and Franklin, and fought during the time I have with the Lord alone. Now they’ve gone off to school looking nice enough (for once) and with a good breakfast but with the scrappiest of family prayers. Only a longer blessing and their last two weeks’ Bible verses yelled each above the other. Grumbling, interrupting, slurring one another, impudent to me. So now they’re off, I’m in bed with my Bible thinking it through - or rather, trying to.”

Nobody’s a super Christian. Even though she was married to a world renowned evangelist, Ruth Graham was essentially a single mom in many ways. She faced a lot of the challenges that came with that. But her commitment to teaching her children was steadfast. Billy commented in the next paragraph, “If Ruth had not been convinced that God had called her to fulfill that side of our partnership, and had not resorted constantly to God’s Word for instruction and to His grace for strength, I don’t see how she could have survived.”

She survived because of her focus. We all have our challenges to face. Maybe we’re a single parent. Maybe we have a blended family. Maybe financial issues are distracting our focus. Maybe our spouse isn’t a Christian. Maybe our job situation is creating tension. Maybe we’re just not good at handling transition.

God is faithful and just and knows what we have need of before we ask it. He can handle the challenge. He can supply the need. He always finds a way.

We just have to follow.