Who Is Rebecca?

There is an inscription in the front of one of Dr. Stanley's Bibles that reads: "Given to me by my godly mother, who taught me the love of God."

Rebecca Stanley was born and raised in Dry Fork, Virginia. As a young woman, she met and married Charlie Stanley, and they had a son whom they named Charles Frazier Stanley. With hearts that were full of hopes and dreams, they began to plan for their life together. But all of this took a tragic turn when Rebecca's husband died suddenly, leaving her a young mother and widow. It was just as tragic for her son, who grew up not knowing his Dad. But he certainly knew his Mom.

Even before he took his first breath, Rebecca prayed, "Lord, this child is yours. Please use him and help him to do great things for You." It was her character and nature to think of God first. Though they had very little, she never gave up. At times, she worked two jobs in order to pay the bills and to keep food on their dinner table.

When remembering his mother, Dr. Stanley said, "A couple of the things I remember about my mother was that she was very disciplined and patient. She never gave up. Quitting was not in her vocabulary. Most of the time, she worked two jobs. She would get up extremely early and leave. While I was in school, she came home from her first job and prepared to go to her second. But before she left, she would cook dinner and set the table for me so I would know exactly what to do and what to eat.

"She would lay it all out, and without fail, she would write a note to me, telling me things that I needed to do or remember. Sometimes she would just write, ‘Charles, I love you.' No one will ever know what those three words meant to me. But that was not all that I remember about Mom. She was an encourager—a person who always cheered for me and prodded me to do my best. By ‘best,' she meant, ‘Do the very best you can, and God will take care of the rest.' A large part of the foundation of my life is based on this truth.

"Anytime I went to Mom with a problem, she never said, ‘Charles, I'm too busy.' She always stopped whatever she was doing and listened. I only saw her become angry a couple of times, and she was far more forgiving than I knew how to be.

"She also was meticulous with money. She had to be. At one point, she only made nine dollars and ten cents a week, but we always got through the difficult times. On top of this, she was very giving. Even when we had very little, if someone dropped by who had less than us, Mom would find something in the refrigerator to give away.

"There are many things I remember about my mother, but at the top of the list is how she prayed for me. Every night, before I turned my light off, Mom would come into my room and kneel down beside my bed, and we would pray. I still remember the sound of her voice saying my name before the Lord. We would tell Him every need we had, and He always provided for each one. There are a lot of things moms can do for their children but prayer is the greatest."

As a single mother, Rebecca defied all the odds of her generation—a generation that was outlined by financial hardships and shortfalls. But during those early years, she built a good life for her son. Charles Stanley grew up to be a man whose heart was and is totally captured by God. But it was his mother's love for a faithful and unshakable God that helped to shape his formative years.

Though this corner of the In Touch Web site is dedicated to Rebecca Stanley, it is really dedicated to all women who desire to live a godly life and who want to pass God's principles on to their children.

And if she were here today, Rebecca would invite you to do what she did so many years ago—draw near to God, find fresh strength and hope in His presence, encouragement in His wisdom, and matchless grace in His protective care. She would also tell you to laugh a little more often and to pray a lot—the one thing that carried her through many seemingly impossible situations.