A note from Kim: Dr. Jim O’Neill was a familiar name around our house, as Dr. Jim was my husband’s missions professor at Liberty University while he was working on his master’s degree. Dr. O’Neill’s teaching, during a summer intensive course filled with international students, made a huge impact on my husband’s life and ministry. I finally had the opportunity to meet Jim and Sterling at a Crossworld banquet in Bala Cynwyd, PA, back in the 90’s. Dr. Jim served as the director of this mission for thirteen years, during which time, Crossworld purchased several missionary cottages in Ventnor, NJ, from a very old mission Baptist mission, the Pennsylvania Medical Missionary Society. Because our family had the privilege of spending a week or two each year at these homes in Ventnor when our children were growing up, our paths crossed with the O’Neill’s occasionally, as both of our families vacationed here. More recently, we have had the opportunity to get to know Jim and Sterling on a more personal level through ABWE and other ministry connections. Of course, meeting at Starbucks has been a favorite place to get together.Sterling and I have in common a love for writing and a desire to minister to pastors’ and missionary wives in their journeys. We are at similar stages of life, each with many years of ministry experience. We have young adult children and grandchildren, and continue to be actively involved with our husbands in ministry together. Sterling is an amazing woman of faith, a virtuous wife and mother, who is to be praised. “Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also…praises her!” (Proverbs 31:28)

Her Children Rise Up and Call Her Blessed

(A Mother’s Love Expressed and A Young Man’s Journey)

Story Behind the Poem (Below)

by Sterling O’Neill

28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”
²⁹ “Many women have done excellent but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:28,30,31 ESV)

I wrote “They Shall Rise Up and Call Her Blessed” Poem below, February 2009. Shane would soon turn 19, not knowing what life would bring him. We had seen 9 of his friends die of drug related overdoses, and Shane was on chemicals himself. However, in December 2009 Shane came to know the Lord as his personal Savior. Shane is soon to be 26 and has been drug-free for 5 years now.

My son loves poetry. The year Shane was in his senior year of high school I wrote this poem for him. After his graduation in June we moved to Tennessee, leaving him in Pennsylvania, where he would finally be making all his own choices. Leaving him behind was tough love and it hurt. It was like my life, as a mom would be ending. I was releasing my son to God to do with Him what he wanted.

“Didn’t God put us, his parents, to save our children from making bad choices that would hurt them?” I would soon find out that I was listening to lies, untruths in my parenting as well. Only God saves and changes hearts. We are only His instruments not saviors.

At this point I was emotionally spent! What I was doing just wasn’t cutting it, and I was grieving. I felt like I was abandoning my son. Yet we had to move due to my husband’s work. “Our son was in God’s hands now!” I told myself. The place Shane needed to be all along. Motherhood has been a process and God has gently walked with me on the journey.

At this time I was teaching our youngest daughter 9th grade English and the curriculum we were using had a section on poetry. The author’s explanation on poetry spoke to me in a way my teachers in high school never did. Instead of an academic exercise she taught it as imagery. I was taught to see poetry as an artist sees and paints a picture on paper. I got it! *I ended up writing the poem below for my son. I was praying it would speak to his own heart and draw him to God. Maybe you can visualize with me as you read it.

The Poem was written in praise to God for my son and all that Jesus had and was doing in his life. It was also therapeutic to my soul to keep trusting Jesus through prayer and His Word for Shane’s salvation. God was still working in my son’s life drawing Shane to Himself. He wasn’t finished with him yet.

It was also my way and hope of witnessing to my son of God’s goodness in his life. May I suggest you find ways to put your child’s name in as you read the poem below. Think of ways God has worked in his/her life and praise God, taking him/her to the Lord in prayer, claiming God’s promises both in your life and his/her’s life. May it bring you hope. Because “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs. 31:30,31)

I believed God would save and change my son’s life. My hope was in God not in my son. My job was to love and pray, trusting the outcome to Him. One day my son would rise up and call me blessed because he found his way back to Christ.

*Disclaimer: I may be an artist, and writer but I don’t see myself as a poet! A “One Mother’s Journey of Raising a Prodigal” 5 part blog story series will be coming out soon, inspired from this Poem, “They Shall Rise Up and Call Her Blessed”. The stories will flesh out more of the events in Shane’s life leading him toward faith in Christ.

THEY SHALL RISE UP AND CALL HER BLESSED
(A Mother’s Love Expressed and A Young Man’s Journey)
2/16/09
Poem by Sterling O’Neill (c)
Inspired by Psalm 139, Proverbs 31, Philippines 1:6 and Moms’ in Prayer

A mother's love was there before you were conceived 
Praying that you would be there.

A mother's love was there when you were in the womb
Praying that you would be formed.

A mother's love rejoicing with delight when she heard the words
"IT IS A BOY!"
Praying "THANK YOU LORD" for giving her the desire of her heart.

A mother's love was there watching you when you were
just a boy
Praying when you had diaper rashes and runny noses etc...
Through thinking you were lost but we found you hiding with a friend,
through days of stubbornness where we thought you were cute
but wondering, "What will we do with this kid who is so much 
like his daddy!" 

Through the time you ran away at age five but shortly came back because 
you knew life with us was better than life out there,
and even through the fun times that seem to number our days most 
when we giggled through things like singing the B-I-B-L-E, 
and watching you when you slept, sucking your thumb, and 
looking all sweet, 
to working to get you to stop with the help of *"Mr. George".*

Memories like teaching you to skate, to riding a bike, to
watching you go off to kindergarten,to 
teaching you homeschooling, to 
falling out of a tree wondering if you'd broken your back, to
getting stitches from exploring on the neighbors's roof, to
seeing you roam the neighborhood so brave and tall
trying to keep up and be like the older boys,
yet in contrast you would walk in and say "Gee, Mom you look pretty. 
Did you just get your hair cut?"
 What an adventurous and unique child we have on our hands, 
what proud parents we stand!

A mother's love was pondering these things in her heart 
storing up for times that would surely come next....
A mother's love was there on her knees when you became a 
teenager 
Praying through those days where you were trying to grow up like a man:

Those days starting with 5th grade
Where we loved sitting around hearing daily accounts of 
your day,
when we made memories laughing all together
You have a way of telling stories that catches all of our hearts.

Days like middle school where all the teachers and parents 
loved the way you treated them 
and the manners you displayed.

You were the charm of the school with all the ladies asking you for advice 
BECAUSE
they knew you had 3 sisters at home 
and what better person could tell them about life than you! 

To those dark days starting in 8th grade
where you discovered life wasn't what you thought it was,
where reality set in and curiosity was at its best.

This child we knew was NOW becoming a young man 
whom
A mother's love wasn't able to be there to fix her child's
every need
but a mother's love who has learned to love from her
knees.

A mother's love who has often cried in silent,
as well as pondered those moments of joy and sorrow 
TRUSTING,
that one day you, too, will totally depend on our heavenly 
Father,
as she has learned to turn you over to HIM to do with you 
as HE pleases.

Praying and thanking God as she sees the days that you are 
growing and maturing
and rejoices with you as she sees character being formed in
you through such things as:

Those times she sees you being faithful to your work and
your bosses praising you,to  
learning to get up on time for school, as well as learning to 
finish tasks well, to making of friends, to
the way you treat your sisters and others in a way that is
kind and considerate,
as well as the compassion that God has given you for those 
who are hurting, to
the leadership qualities you display that teaches mom how to
live better as well, 
and the days you unexpectedly blessed her heart 
with a kiss, a hug, or with a word of "I love you, Mom" or
"I am sorry, mom",
to the cleaning of your room and other chores of such,
when you seem to gather others to help, 
what fine qualities of leadership of delegation and 
mobilizing you exhibit,
to even sitting in church with her, listening to God's Word
that gives answers to life.

Reminding her of what she already knows that what God
has started He will complete!
Knowing her love is still grounded in the HOPE of the God 
who is at work in you!

Praying through times of sorrow when her heart is broken
because of the wrong choices you might make, like the
friends you might follow, the things you might do, the 
places you might go,
the unkind words you might speak, etc...,
that reflects a heart that still needs Jesus at the core,
or the inner struggles she knows you are going through but 
she can't fix.

For it is through these times she prays the most, 
for it is through these times that she knows God is using
these things 
to make you more the man and leader you will become one
day for His Glory.

A mother's love knows that charm is deceptive and beauty
is vain
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring 
her praise one day
as her children will rise up and call her blessed
because they have found Jesus who loves them most!

*”Mr. George”*:  A Dental homemade plastic that fits over thumb and 
tied around hand, made to help a child stop sucking their thumb that 
we called “Mr. George”.

Personal Reflection: How can Proverbs 31 encourage you as a mom, especially 
verses 28-31? What truths can you learn or be inspired by, in my story 
and poem? Take time to put your child’s name in place of Shane’s and 
pray for him/her. Would love to hear your story or comments or even pray 
for you "They Shall Rise Up and Call Her Blessed"

From one Pilgrim to another together on the journey

“Consider how you might encourage one another on as you see the day approaching…..” Hebrews 10:24-25

“Together empowering a movement of mission minded women on their journey of their calling, so that they may feel valued, significant, purposeful, and confident in making a difference for God’s Kingdom in all season’s of life, one story at a time.“

Sterling sees herself as an Ambassador-at-Large as the wife of a CEO, who leads an international organization.  She loves people, writing, consulting, coaching, creating, and tennis among other things.  

Sterling writes her blog on Faith and Mission. Together with others she wants to empower a movement of mission minded women on their journey and calling so that they may feel valued, significant, purposeful, and confident in making a difference for God’s kingdom in all season’s of life, one story at a time.  

Available for speaking to women’s groups and retreats, for consulting and Life Coaching for mission minded women on their journey and calling.