A Mother Who Died to Reconcile

A lad, just coming to manhood, got into some trouble which deeply angered his father, who was one of the leading men of the town. The father ordered the boy away from home and when the mother begged him to change his mind, he would listen. He cried out, “I’ll never ask him to come home!” And the boy responded, “Don’t worry, I’ll never ask to come home!”

How the mothers heart broke as she saw the train her boy was in go further and further. In a few days she became ill and took to her bed. The doctor came. The father did everything he could, but it seemed that she had lost the will to live. Months went by and finally the doctor, who was a friend of the family, urged the father to call the boy home. The doctor said, “You wife is dying of a heartbreak for him. If you don’t send for him she will die.” But the father was hard. He shook his head, no. “I said I would never call him back, and I never will.”

But he loved his wife, and his heart was torn with grief. He loved the boy too, he just wouldn’t admit it. How strange we are towards those we love. Finally a neighbor sent the boy a telegram which read: Come home, Mother is dying. Thousands of miles away on the Pacific cost, the boys face turned white. In a few hours he was on the train. It seemed that he would never get home.

At last the train finally arrived at its destination. He ran off the train and down the street of a little Ohio town. It was night. As he opened the old gate, even the familiar creak sounded like home. There was a light on in mother’s room. He didn’t even knock he just walked right in as he always did. He went strait up to her room and there he saw her face, so beautiful but so pale. On the other side of the bed, stood his father, who just looked and then turned away.

The mother was so weak she could hardly life a hand, but with one hand she took her sons hand and with the other hand, the fathers, and began to draw their hands close together. She was weak, so weak and it was a mighty effort for the candle of life was burning low. Closer and closer she pulled those strong willed hands together. At last they touched. Tears of forgiveness began to flow. Mother’s hands relaxed. She gave a little sigh and was gone.

She gave her life to make peace between the ones she loved, and in her death they were reconciled. The power of a mothers love was irresistible. Jesus died of a broken heart to reconcile commandment breaking men to God. At the cross, it was as if Jesus took the Fathers hand and took our hand our hand and brought them back together. Except the Father was not angry with us because, “For God so loved the world He gave his only son”. And through Jesus we can feel the pull God’s love in Him.