12 years ago today, the greatest influence in my life went home to be with the Lord…my Mammaw, Bessie G. Ferguson. I miss her every day and yet her life is woven into the tapestry of my life in a profound way. Many of you reading this know, that I suffocated to death as a child and was pronounced dead. My Mammaw literally prayed me back to life. This miracle was recorded on the front page of the Dallas Morning News.
Today I honor her memory by sharing with you some of the “Tenets for Life” that she taught me. She did not call them “Tenets.” Tenets are opinions, principles, dogma or doctrines a person believes or maintains as true. She did not force feed these things to me, in fact, they were more caught than taught. The following are a few:
1. You cannot dictate everything that happens to you, but you can dictate what happens in you.
Mammaw taught me that we don’t have to own everything that happens to us, but we do own what happens in us. Cancer does not fight fair! Mammaw got breast cancer when breast cancer was a death sentence. Cancer happened to her, but she never became “cancerous” as a person.
2. Because you can dictate what happens in you, you can determine your outward response.
Divorce happened to her, but did not happen in her. She was hurt inside, but never became bitter on the outside. She taught me that things can hurt us on the inside but we have the power through Christ to be strengthened by what should crush us. What should crush us, has the power to push us towards God.
3. You cannot control what other people do to you, but you can control what you do to other people.
Mammaw taught me that “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” But not just mercy, but FAVOR with both God and man. We don’t give honor because people are honorable, but because we are honorable. She was the most honoring person I have ever met and for real…never said a negative word about anybody!!!
4. Never speak a negative word about anybody.
I am still working on this!!! Everyone is God’s son or daughter…mercy Lord…mercy!!!
5. You are not responsible for others actions, but you are responsible for your actions.
6. When you choose to Be the Best you can Be, you will gain the power to See the Best in others.
Mammaw taught me that it is God’s desire that we see people the way God sees them, but we can only do that if we choose to Be the Best we can be. If I am not striving to Be my Best for God, I will never be able to recognize the Best in others. Why do I need to See the Best in others? Because I can only be the beneficiary of the greatness of God that is in others if I can recognize the greatness.
As a footnote, I received a call from a precious woman of God today who is 90 years old, who has made me a grandson of choice and she wanted to tell me that God wanted me to know my Mammaw is having a great time in heaven and is very proud of me!!! Wow! Thank You God for your love for me. For the way You loved me through my Mammaw. Thank You for her life that I am who I am because of who You made her to be.
Finally, Mammaw…I love you! I will never forget you! I am sharing your story around the world.
Love,
Keith
Good to read again the awesome influence of this woman in your life. I hope my grandchildren are blessed through my life. Thanks for this post.
Thank you Pastor Keith!
A long long time from now…a loooong time, I’ll have to thank her for the love and GRACE she showed you and how you pass it on to all of us! Praise JESUS!! (Your parents and of course Sheila and the kids too!)
I watch you on my computer here in Indianapolis, so FAVORED am I!
I keep you and your beautiful family and your gorgeous Home of God in my prayers. The Cathedral is BEAUTIFUL!!!
You have amazing FAVOR on your life to reveal the heart JESUS and I LOVE IT!!!
I just watched 10days to 10 times better…OH MY GOODNESS!! But, I say that about all your sermons, LOL!! I am receiving from God this prophetic WORD and I am doing the ‘hard thing’ though I pray for a whole lotta Grace so it’ll seem…well, EASY. I’M ASKING!! 🙂
I’m in need of a miracle for debt freedom from divorce (BTW, that ‘WORD’ was for ME! when you said, the best thing that could have happened to me was that he left, ha!) and poor business decisions. BUT…MY GOD HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN…NOT ONCE! AMEN! (PULLIN’ IT DOWN!)
I Praise Jesus, that HE blessed me with the revelation to Tithe and sow seed into good ground a few years ago – HALLELUJAH!
I pray to buy a chair for your church…hopefully SOON!!
THANK YOU FOR BEING OBEDIENT,
Love from Indy!!
Vilma Ortiz
I was at Get Motivated in Hartford today, and was blessed and inspired by your words and testimony today. Thank you for allowing God to use you for His service.
May God bless you and your family.
Myrna
Keith Craft@KeithCraft
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Ps.31:24 I want to encourage u:Don’t give up. Go UP!
Hi Keith. You don’t know me but I want to say Thank You.
You made a guest appearance at my church (BAF in Corpus Christi TX) over the weekend and I am so grateful that you did.
You, your Mamaw, your family, for the message you shared and the power you brought into our church this weekend has not left my thoughts for a second. You are a true blessing to everyone you meet and I feel so honored to have been one of those blessed by your presence.
Thank you.
~Barb
My grandma too was the influence in my life. Bless her. May God give me the blessing to also be in my grand childs life. And oh my gosh……I can so see the face you have now, in your baby picture!