Are You a Mean Mom?
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 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 at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31:30-31)
I am constantly receiving email articles from people who find something interesting as they surf the internet. I received the following piece of wisdom a couple of months ago. It’s about the meanest mom in the world. I don’t know who wrote it, but it does express timeless truth: “We had the meanest mom in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mom fixed us a dinner that was different from other kids had, too. Mom insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds. Then, life was really tough! Mom wouldn’t let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until she felt we were ready. Because of our mom, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other’s property, or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault. We never got drunk, took up smoking, stayed out all night, or a million other things that other kids did. Sundays were reserved for church, and we never missed once. Now that we have left home, we are all God-fearing, educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that’s what is wrong with the world today. It just doesn’t have enough mean moms anymore.” (author unknown)
This weekend we will all pause for a moment to express our gratitude for mom. While some moms might be remembered for their meanness when we were young, all moms will be remembered for being overworked and under appreciated. Perhaps you’ve heard the story about a father was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter. He got out the wedding album, thinking visual images would help, and explained the entire wedding service to his daughter. When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions. She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy, is that when mommy came to work for us?” Moms are among the hardest workers on the planet and so it is appropriate that we pause frequently (not just on Mother’s Day) to say thank you to them.
The verse above from Proverbs 31 reminds us that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. As you read the description of this wonderful person you will notice that nowhere in the passage of Scripture does it talk about her wealth. But it does say that she is worth far more than rubies. Now that’s not referring to her material wealth but rather to her value in the family. The passage doesn’t speak about her exquisite beauty or her athletic ability. But the passage reminds us that those things are fleeting anyway. What does have true lasting value is a woman who works hard caring for her family as she faithfully follows her Lord. The bible says that woman is worthy of praise.
So moms – here’s to you. You are cutting-edge leaders in the people development business. You are molders of human beings. The nurturing you provide, the love you offer, the encouragement you bestow, the teaching you do, the dreams you inspire, the values you instill – all of it is critically important to the future of our world. In a very real sense, the health of our culture rests squarely on your shoulders. Moms, a hundred years from now it won’t matter to you what kind of house you lived in, the size of your bank account, the car you drive, or the value of your possessions. That’s not what’s going to be important to you a hundred years from now. What will matter to you then is that you made a difference in the life of a child--in your child right now.
Moms, you matter. You make a difference. And moms that make a difference invest themselves every day in the lives of their children. They intuitively know that mothering matters, because today makes a difference tomorrow. Moms, God has uniquely positioned you to be the most influential person in the life of your child. You will mark them and set them on a trajectory for the rest of their life by what you do. Those long conversations in the car between all those activities--they make a difference. Moms, those bedside chats about the little details in your child’s day - they make a difference. When you pack their lunches and put a little note in there for them to take to school--it makes a difference. When you help them with their math problems even though you don’t have a clue yourself, you’re making a difference. When you bring your kids to church week after week after week, you’re making a difference. You make a difference with the countless things you do every day for your children. You’re making an investment in their lives that will reap huge dividends for generations to come.
Think about it - when God wants to do something great in the world he doesn’t send in an earthquake. He doesn’t stir up a tornado. He doesn’t erupt a volcano. He sends in a child. But before he sends in a child, he finds a woman to be a mom to that child. When God needed a Moses, he found a Hebrew slave girl living by the banks of the Nile by the name of Jochebed to be his mother. When God needed an Abraham Lincoln, he found a poor, illiterate Virginia farm girl by the name of Nancy Hanks to be his mother. When God needed a Martin Luther King, Jr., he reached down and found the daughter of a poor, black preacher in Atlanta, Georgia by the name of Alberta Williams. When God needed a Savior for the world, he found a young, Jewish girl living in an obscure unknown village to be the earthly mother of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. When God wants to change the world – he starts with a mom. When God wants to do the extraordinary – he starts with an average, ordinary (sometimes mean) mom.
So moms – enjoy the weekend. We appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices you make. You are truly a blessing!
Have a Happy Mother’s Day,
PT
I am constantly receiving email articles from people who find something interesting as they surf the internet. I received the following piece of wisdom a couple of months ago. It’s about the meanest mom in the world. I don’t know who wrote it, but it does express timeless truth: “We had the meanest mom in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mom fixed us a dinner that was different from other kids had, too. Mom insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds. Then, life was really tough! Mom wouldn’t let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until she felt we were ready. Because of our mom, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other’s property, or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault. We never got drunk, took up smoking, stayed out all night, or a million other things that other kids did. Sundays were reserved for church, and we never missed once. Now that we have left home, we are all God-fearing, educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that’s what is wrong with the world today. It just doesn’t have enough mean moms anymore.” (author unknown)
This weekend we will all pause for a moment to express our gratitude for mom. While some moms might be remembered for their meanness when we were young, all moms will be remembered for being overworked and under appreciated. Perhaps you’ve heard the story about a father was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter. He got out the wedding album, thinking visual images would help, and explained the entire wedding service to his daughter. When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions. She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy, is that when mommy came to work for us?” Moms are among the hardest workers on the planet and so it is appropriate that we pause frequently (not just on Mother’s Day) to say thank you to them.
The verse above from Proverbs 31 reminds us that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. As you read the description of this wonderful person you will notice that nowhere in the passage of Scripture does it talk about her wealth. But it does say that she is worth far more than rubies. Now that’s not referring to her material wealth but rather to her value in the family. The passage doesn’t speak about her exquisite beauty or her athletic ability. But the passage reminds us that those things are fleeting anyway. What does have true lasting value is a woman who works hard caring for her family as she faithfully follows her Lord. The bible says that woman is worthy of praise.
So moms – here’s to you. You are cutting-edge leaders in the people development business. You are molders of human beings. The nurturing you provide, the love you offer, the encouragement you bestow, the teaching you do, the dreams you inspire, the values you instill – all of it is critically important to the future of our world. In a very real sense, the health of our culture rests squarely on your shoulders. Moms, a hundred years from now it won’t matter to you what kind of house you lived in, the size of your bank account, the car you drive, or the value of your possessions. That’s not what’s going to be important to you a hundred years from now. What will matter to you then is that you made a difference in the life of a child--in your child right now.
Moms, you matter. You make a difference. And moms that make a difference invest themselves every day in the lives of their children. They intuitively know that mothering matters, because today makes a difference tomorrow. Moms, God has uniquely positioned you to be the most influential person in the life of your child. You will mark them and set them on a trajectory for the rest of their life by what you do. Those long conversations in the car between all those activities--they make a difference. Moms, those bedside chats about the little details in your child’s day - they make a difference. When you pack their lunches and put a little note in there for them to take to school--it makes a difference. When you help them with their math problems even though you don’t have a clue yourself, you’re making a difference. When you bring your kids to church week after week after week, you’re making a difference. You make a difference with the countless things you do every day for your children. You’re making an investment in their lives that will reap huge dividends for generations to come.
Think about it - when God wants to do something great in the world he doesn’t send in an earthquake. He doesn’t stir up a tornado. He doesn’t erupt a volcano. He sends in a child. But before he sends in a child, he finds a woman to be a mom to that child. When God needed a Moses, he found a Hebrew slave girl living by the banks of the Nile by the name of Jochebed to be his mother. When God needed an Abraham Lincoln, he found a poor, illiterate Virginia farm girl by the name of Nancy Hanks to be his mother. When God needed a Martin Luther King, Jr., he reached down and found the daughter of a poor, black preacher in Atlanta, Georgia by the name of Alberta Williams. When God needed a Savior for the world, he found a young, Jewish girl living in an obscure unknown village to be the earthly mother of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. When God wants to change the world – he starts with a mom. When God wants to do the extraordinary – he starts with an average, ordinary (sometimes mean) mom.
So moms – enjoy the weekend. We appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices you make. You are truly a blessing!
Have a Happy Mother’s Day,
PT
posted by Larry | 2:01 PM
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