Interview with Bette Lafferty

by Rita Prochazka and Deborah Malone

Hello ladies! Deborah here. I’m so excited to have Bette as a guest. I met her in an online Christian marketing class for authors. Right away I was impressed with this little lady. So full of energy and love for Abba. As you may know this blog focuses on “seasoned” women and our role in God’s ministry. He did not put an expiration date on our forehead. He can and will use us until we are ready to go home. Bette is a perfect example of this. She is 87 and has written several books of poetry and sends an encouraging poem out every Monday through an email list.

I asked Bette to write a devotion on Lois and Eunice. We know these women in the Bible as Timothy’s Grandmother and Mother. Being a Christian influence is a big job for parents and grandparents. And it can be hard. Because God has given us free will, we may not see the results of our influence on our children and grandchildren during our lifetime, but everything we have done to encourage them will stay with them. Without further ado, let’s get right into Bette’s devotion.

“Leaving the Nest”

by Bette Lafferty

“Congratulations, you’re pregnant,” my doctor said. My excitement lasted ever so briefly as I recalled my three miscarriages in the last nine years.

“No problem,” he said, “we have medication to keep your little one tucked away in your tummy for as long as it takes.”

My little girl was tucked away in my tummy for over ten months due to the drugs. Whe she arrived she was beautiful, fully developed and ready to take on the world. I loved her so much, sewed little dresses for her, and decorated her room in yellows and greens. She was my little princess.

She was baptized and taken to Sunday School throughout her formative years. Then, life changed as her father, an unbeliever, and I divorced. Her only sibling was a brother who joined the army as she entered her teens. She felt abandoned. I prayed all the teachings she has received up until that time would carry her through the diffucult times that would fill her life for the next ten years.

She left home and never returned. I cried out to God to watch over her, protecting her, guiding her. I learned later that she had received Jesus into her heart as her Lord and Savior.

I think about Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) whose father, a Greek, was also an unbeliever in Jesus. Fortunately, his mother Eunice, loved the Lord as did his grandmother, Lois. They nurtured Timothy all through his formative years until he, too, left home. He traveled with Paul, hearing Paul’s powerful teachings about the living Christ and all the promises available to those who would receive Christ into their hearts. God’s word was taught to Timothy by his mother and grandmother, and now Paul kept Timothy grounded in the Lord.

I wonder how his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, felt when Timothy left home. Did the Lord comfort them knowing they had planted God’s word in his heart? Were they encouraged knowing the Word was a familiar guest in all their conversations?

Is He a guest in your home? Do your children know His as a friend? Does He comfort you in your trials? He has promised to be with you in the good and bad times. He will keep you close to His heart as you keep your children and grandchildren close to yours.

Hugs, Bette

Bio: Bette is an 87-year-old widow living in Boerne, Texas. She has been writing seriously for over 20 years. She has three books published: “An Offering of Love,” “Joy Unfolding,” and “Finding God’s Peace in a Broken World.” These are available on Amazon. She also speaks to readers through email with her Monday Morning Offerings. She loves plants, reading and writing poetry and short stories. You can reach her at bettelafferty@gmail.com.