Charisma Magazine

Remember several years ago when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were performing at the Super Bowl Half-Time Show, and he ripped off her costume exposing her chest to nearly 90 million viewers?

The performance caused uproar in the public arena over indecency on TV, and led to bills being passed increasing fines against broadcasters that violate decency standards. But despite federal regulations, the push to saturate our kids' minds with sexually explicit content and products is alive and well in our culture.

The assault on young girls is especially heinous. I was taken aback the other day when I walked into a store and saw racy underwear on sale for girls as young as 5 years old. It's only a matter of time before our sex-crazed society causes kindergarteners to lose their innocence.

Recently my good friend and co-worker married a wonderful, God-sent man. As I watched their beautiful Italian ceremony, I was reminded of the many years I spent with her praying and asking the Lord to send her a husband. So needless to say, I was excited to see her stroll down the aisle!

My friend wanted to be married, but she didn't waste time lamenting her singleness. But for many women, being single is a lonely life to live. They exhaust a lot of prayer time cutting deals with God: "Lord, if You allow me to get married, my husband and I will work together in ministry for You." But the reality is not everyone will get a chance to say I do, and God will still expect us to serve Him.

I used to pray similar prayers, but one day I stopped complaining long enough to hear the Holy Spirit speak. His message to me is my encouragement to you: Learn to be content in Christ as He unfolds His plans and purposes for your life—but by all means, have a life!

First Timothy 6:6 tells us "godliness with contentment is great gain," and it is. But contentment doesn't mean single women should mope around waiting for a husband.

Take advantage of the countless opportunities you have to do ministry and become the woman He created you to be. The Bible says the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.

My friend met her husband in church where she was busy serving the Lord and fulfilling His purpose for her life. She doesn't regret waiting years for the right guy to come along.

Please don't spend all your time negotiating with the Father asking Him for a tall, dark and handsome man; use your time to advance the kingdom. His message of covenant love isn't directed at just married people. It's for every single one of us.

This week I traveled to South Bend, Ind., to attend the funeral-or should I say the home-going service-of my 94-year-old grandfather. Lawrence Lowe Sr. was a spry man and as the patriarch of the Lowe clan, he possessed wisdom far beyond his years.

He stood about 5 feet 11 inches tall, but in my eyes he looked more like 6 foot 6. His ebony complexion hid the scars and hardships of growing up under the burden of racial segregation and Jim Crow laws. But he let nothing stop him from leaving his mark on the earth in his own unique way.

He spent his early years working as a farmer on his dad's farm along with his eight brothers, and as a carpenter in his latter years. His huge fists no doubt held the key to thousands of family stories that I unfortunately never got a chance to hear.

We all regret when we peer into the casket of a loved one and realize we didn't get a chance to say "I love you" one more time. But years before my grandfather slipped into eternity, I got the chance to tell him "thank you." I thanked him for giving me the man in my life-my dad.

Daniel Lowe is an awsome man! His love for me is unconditional, and his guidance is too. When I became a single mom, he stepped into my daughter's life and became a surrogate father to her. He has instilled character and integrity in me, and today I love the Lord because my earthly father made a believer out of me. It's my definition of a living legacy.

I believe love and life are the two greatest gifts we can give to one another. The Bible says for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and the Son gave His life so that we might spend eternity with Him (see John 3:16).

When we accept Jesus into our lives and live for Him, we not only secure our place in heaven, we leave behind a spiritual legacy that will never die. God's love is the gift that keeps on giving, and we must pass it on to our children's children and for generations to come.

Valerie G. Lowe is associate editor for Charisma. Check out her e-newsletters Standing With Israel and Spiritled Woman e-Magazine.

This week, moms across the country will be showered with gifts and heart-felt words from their loved ones in recognition of Mother’s Day. I’m glad someone thought to set aside the second Sunday in May to honor the faithful women who love and care for their families.

Decades ago gospel singer Shirley Caesar penned a song that I believe characterizes the depth of a mother’s love—and God’s love for us. No Charge is a song about a young boy who charges his mom a fee every time he completes his chores or helps out around the house.

For mowing the lawn, $5
Taking out the trash, $1
Running errands, 50 cents
Making his own bed, $1
“Playing” with his brother, 25 cents

The boy includes a few more chores to the list, adds it up, and hands his mother a bill for $14.75. Had that been my mother and me, she would have told me to sit down and be quiet—or else!

But the woman responds to her son the way I believe Jesus responds to us.

“For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, no charge / For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you, prayed for you, no charge / For the time and the tears and the cost through the years, there is no charge ... / For the nights filled with dread and the worries ahead, no charge / For advice and the knowledge and the cost of your college, no charge / … When you add it all up / The full cost of my love is no charge.”

The Bible says for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (see John 3:16). The Son, in turn, gave His life for us and paid the price for sin. So be encouraged as you render selfless service to your family. Jesus is your role model, and He is pleased to know you are following in His footsteps.

Happy Mother’s Day!