Editor’s Note: This writer approached me recently concerning her desire to spend time in the presence of seasoned Christians in order to glean their wisdom and to put these interactions into article form for Christian Ladies Fellowship. This is the third of several interviews that she has written with the intent to help and motivate a younger generation of Christian ladies to examine how much more of their lives can they give to God. I know each reader will be encouraged through these unique interviews by Abigail Medford.
An Interview with Joy Wruck
Speaking with Mrs. Joy Wruck is a bit like having a conversation with a favorite devotional book. Every question asked is answered with a wise principle, an applicable Bible verse, and a concise, insightful anecdote from her past. She is a wealth of knowledge on all sorts of subjects and has a fascinating life story and testimony.
Born in a small town in Wisconsin, she eventually moved to Milwaukee, where she attended a large public high school. She described going to school there: “There were fights in the hall every day, and you survived by keeping your mouth shut and being invisible.” She had been saved at the age of seven and was led to the Lord by her father, who was a Baptist pastor. However, she soon was influenced by worldly classmates and began dating her best friend’s unsaved cousin. They got married when she was only 18.
Although heartbroken at her decision, her parents refused to give up on their daughter and new son-in-law. They prayed continually for his salvation and her surrender for three long years. God was faithful, and their prayers would be answered.
The young couple made their home in Green Cove Springs, Florida. After much persistence, a local pastor led Joy’s husband Chuck to the Lord. The Wrucks began attending church together. Soon after, the couple dedicated their lives to the Lord.
Nearly 47 years have come and gone, and still the Wrucks have remained faithful members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. They are among the most senior members of the church. Throughout the years, these two have participated and served in a plethora of ministries, including the bus, Sunday School, and children’s ministries.
Although Mrs. Wruck has many areas of expertise, I came specifically in search of her wisdom in rearing children for the Lord. As a young mother just starting out with my family, I have often been overwhelmed with the sheer amount of advice and resources available. It is easy to become bogged down, confused, or led astray by the parenting philosophies of this world. However, Mrs. Wruck has proven by her testimony to be an ideal source of wisdom in this area. She has achieved the Christian mother’s dream: her four grown sons are faithfully serving the Lord, and her 25 grandchildren and one great-grandchild (with two more on the way!) are following in their footsteps. She truly exemplifies the Virtuous Woman in Proverbs 31: Her children arise up, and call her blessed: Her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Her clear, Biblical wisdom was such a blessing to me, and I know it will be the same to those reading this who take her advice to heart. Here are a few of the many things that Joy Wruck taught about parenting:
Ask for wisdom.
Mrs. Wruck’s parenting motto was James 1:5, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given unto him. When faced with difficult parenting situations, she would pray for wisdom and allow God to bring a solution to her mind. She also reminded me that as time passes and the children leave home, “You still have the same fears, worries, and dreams, but no longer have the control. When your heart is heavy, it is time for fasting and praying.”
Know your limits, and know your talents.
Every mother, Mrs. Wruck explained, has to know herself in order to be the best she can be. She discovered early in her parenting journey that she was not a good mother when she was not rested, so she adjusted her schedule to allow for sometimes taking a quick afternoon nap to ensure she was fully energized to parent her children after they got home from school. When she could feel that she was becoming too upset after a child misbehaved, she learned to send them to their rooms while she quieted her spirit, then take care of any needed discipline.
On the other hand, she is a wonderfully-creative woman. She was ingenious at coming up with costumes, games, and activities, not only for her own children but also for her charges in Sunday School and Kid’s Klub, the children’s ministry that was held during the adult soulwinning time on Saturday mornings. Parents would regularly tell her and her husband that they had not been planning to go to soulwinning, but that their child had insisted they come so he or she would not miss out on Kid’s Club! As a result of the Wrucks’ dedication and creativity in Kid’s Club, more soulwinners went out to sow seed, and thus, more people were saved.
Early training will leave a lifetime impression.
Mrs. Wruck reminisced that a childhood friend once told her that she would sometimes run away from her mother. In shock, Mrs. Wruck responded, “We NEVER ran from our mother. That was a high crime that would have brought severe punishment.” When she thought about it later, she discovered that she could not remember a single occasion when she had run from her mother. She realized that her mother must have instilled this important principle in her at a very young age. While she could remember neither the training nor even a punishment, the impression shaped the rest of her life. Making a spiritual application, she said, “My sons probably can’t remember all the nights we talked or the hours we spent teaching them. That training about God and character became a part of the fabric of their thinking and the building blocks of their lives because the seeds of godly living were planted deep within their hearts.”
At one point in our discussion, I asked Mrs. Wruck why she had such a love for children and children’s ministries. She quoted Psalms 127:3, Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. “If God considers them a heritage or reward,” she explained, “then they must be of great value.”
Mrs. Wruck is what many of us strive to become: a godly Christian mother. However, her wisdom can span across our relationships and ministries to guide us––whether we are mothers, Sunday School teachers, bus workers, aunts, grandmothers, nursery workers, or all of the above––as we cultivate and train the next generation of great value. Her testimony proves that God will use us if we make a purposeful and determined effort to be all that God wants us to be in any role where He has placed us for the cause of Christ.
by Abigail Medford
