Learning from Ruth Graham

This past Thursday, Ruth Bell Graham went to be with the Lord. (I wrote about her passing and her profound impact on me in a post at 5 Minutes for Mom.)

I haven’t stopped thinking about Ruth since I read the news of her death. We can learn so much from her life and her pure, steadfast faith and dedication to God.

After dropping Jackson off at school today, I opened our front door and walked inside the house, my mind still consumed with thoughts of Ruth. As I turned to shut the door, I saw the sun trying to reach through the clouds and the empty rocking chair on my porch. (Rocking chairs always remind me of pictures of Ruth and Billy Graham.) So instead of shutting the door and rushing to my computer, I stepped back outside and sat down to pray and meditate on what God has been trying to teach me through Ruth’s example.

Ruth lived an extraordinary life and yet much of it was filled with the simple but challenging moments of motherhood. She wasn’t always jetting around the world, visiting with presidents or speaking to huge crowds like her famous husband. Instead she was most often at home, demonstrating her faith to her children day in and day out.

I think as mothers it can often seem hard to live heroic lives – and even harder to feel like we are living heroic lives! The constant strain of demands on our time and our energy can sap us of our enthusiasm for the Word and prayer and keep us from refueling with the Holy Spirit.

I know in my life, instead of turning to God when I find myself depleted, I often retreat to the couch and the remote control or a phone conversation with a friend. While every mom deserves such breaks, if we don’t come to the Lord for strength, wisdom and encouragement, we will grow weak and faint in our faith and in our mothering.

Quotes from Ruth’s family are so revealing as to the kind of life Ruth lived.

Mother’s was a practical, everyday faith. Her faith touched all that she did, but not in an ostentatious kind of way. Mother expressed her faith and her love of God through the common activities of life. Her conversation, for example, was suffused with talk of what God was teaching her. We constantly overheard her discussing the Scriptures with adults or sharing stories of people she knew whose lives had been changed by God through Christ. Her countenance softened—and it still does—when she talked about God.
—Ruth Graham, Ruth’s daughter

With Mother, I have seen true righteousness in a human being on a level that I’ve never seen before. There is absolutely no insecurity in the woman. There is total and absolute peace and confidence of who she is in God through Christ. There is a complete dependence and openness to the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. She hungers and thirsts after righteousness constantly. I’ve never seen anybody like it.

—Ned Graham, Ruth’s son

I have been asked the question, “Who do you go to for counsel, for spiritual guidance?” My answer: my wife, Ruth. She is a great student of the Bible. Her life is ruled by the Bible more than any person I’ve ever known. That’s her rule book, her compass. Her disposition is the same all the time—very sweet and very gracious and charming.

When it comes to spiritual things, my wife has had the greatest influence on my ministry.
—Billy Graham

Our children can certainly test our faith and our patience. Parenting can be a long, lonely road. I am sure that if Ruth hadn’t been constantly turning to the Lord for her continued strength, she would not have been able to be the heroic mother that she was.

I also grew up in a ministry family. My father was away preaching at least half of our lives. It was my mother who taught us about God. It was my mother who daily laid down her life for us. While she was human and failed, she was still our hero and I have her to thank for the foundation of faith in our home.

I want to be a spiritual hero for my children. I want them to see me daily searching the scriptures and looking to the Lord for my strength and guidance. But I must admit I am failing – and I need to look to godly examples like Ruth Graham for inspiration. What a great role model of a godly mother and wife we can find in Ruth!

In a way Ruth’s life was a fairytale come true — because of the power of Christ! She showed us what God can do through us if we live moment by moment in surrender to God, walking humbly with our Lord.

For a beautiful memorial with photos, quotes, writings and more, visit the BGEA site’s memorial for Ruth.

Who has inspired you in your role as a mother? What impacts you most about Ruth’s life?