"Mother's Four Qualities"

Mom’s Day – 2008

May 11, 2008

”I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 1 Timothy 1:3-5

Mother’s Day is always a special day for me. I have been privileged to have the best Mom in the world – her number two son hasn’t always been the best and I haven’t expressed my appreciation like I should – but I know some of what is best about me is because of my Mom. There are three qualities my mom has that I wished every mom could have. As I rub shoulders with people and work with people, it makes me appreciate these qualities. And really, every person ought to have these qualities that my little white haired Mum possesses.

First, she has the gift of joy. She likes to laugh. She can’t tell a great joke like I can, and she isn’t a silly, goofy kind of person like I can be sometimes – but when I was growing up and even when I go back home now – there is an ambience of joy in her home. And that’s important. Some of my friends grew up in fear. Some grew up in sternness. Some were just neglected. I grew up in a happy home. And that is important to a kid. Maybe King Solomon said it best when he wrote these words,

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

[Proverbs 17:22]

Our emotions really do affect us – even physically. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the recovery of Norman Cousins from what was diagnosed as an incurable disease. He was bedridden and the doctors gave him no hope at all. So he decided if he was going to die – he was going to die happy. His family got a movie projector and rented all the Charlie Chaplin and Abbott and Costello movies that they could find - movies where you just sit back and laugh because they are genuinely funny. Personally, I think I would have chosen death before watching those kind of movies – but to each his own.

Norman ran one movie after another, and the more he watched the more he laughed. The more he laughed, the better he felt. First thing you know, the doctors couldn’t find any evidence of the incurable disease. Awhile back, Paul Harvey stated that for the last 10 years Norman Cousins has been on the staff of the UCLA School of Medicine & is pioneering a new medical discipline: "pyschoneuro-immunology."

The article states, "Carefully controlled experiments conducted by Cousins and his associates demonstrate that you - just by controlling your mind set - can alter your temperature, your blood pressure and your blood chemistry in a matter of minutes."

It goes on to say, "There is now evidence that cancer patients - liberated from depression - can actually activate the anti-cancer capability of the immune system. ’The human body,’ contends Cousins, ’is far more robust than people have been led to believe. A strong will to live, along with the other positive emotions - faith, love, purpose, determination, and humor - boosts disease-fighting immune cells.’"

So the proverb is true. If you’re joyful in your heart, then that’s good medicine. But if you’re not joyful - if your spirit is broken, then it dries up your bones. You become old and tired, and a person no one wants to be around.

Think about it. Who are the people you are attracted to? "Gloomy Gus" who walks around with a frown on his face? The person who sees all the bad things in the world, who is thoroughly convinced that everything is going to fall apart? Is that the kind of person with whom we love to spend our time? Do we like to spend our time with a cranky critical person who finds fault in everything everyone does? No way! We are attracted to the person who has a smile on his face, and joy in his heart.

Be careful what your kids watch on TV, too. Since my grandson, Nate, spends quite a bit of time with us, I check out what he watches on TV. There are some good cartoons on TV – but there are some really bad, negative, critical cartoons that are imparting an attitude of negativity to our children that is dangerous to them. It steals their joy. It makes them unhappy and bitter and rebellious. It’s a tough way for a child to grow up.