The Top Ten Things Mom’s Want Their Children To Know About Her
Romans 13:7 says, "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour"
Today is Mother’s day. We come today to honor Mother’s. I asked someone who is a mother to give me a list of things she would like her children to know about what it is like to be a mother. I present to you the top ten list. There are actually twelve, but I condensed it to ten. The lady I asked to do this is a mother of two and you all know her - OK, it was Marlene. So, here we go. The top ten things mother’s want their kids to know:
10. MOMS ARE HUMAN - THEY MAKE MISTAKES
The Bible shows women at their highest and their lowest. We see the first woman - Eve - who committed the first human sin. She was the first woman and the first mother. She started out perfect but ended up sinning.
All through the Bible we see women making mistakes, but as I studied for this lesson it dawned on me that there is actually a minimum of pointing out the sin of women. It is mostly directed at men. There are plenty of women in the Bible for whom their good points are elevated: Hannah, Rahab, Elizabeth, Mary, etc.
Wisdom comes with age. Mom would like to share her advice. She would like you to learn from her mistakes, and not make the same ones.
The ninth thing Mom wants you to know is:
9. MOM LOVES YOU MORE THAN HER OWN LIFE
a. For example, Hannah suffered for her child. She suffered in not having a child and she suffered by turning him over to God’s service. Every mother of a preacher or missionary has gone through this. Every mother wants her children to live close by. Mothers of preachers must come to accept the fact that God’s calling comes first. It squeezes her heart but she accepts it as God’s will. That is why it is imperative that preachers make it a point to visit their mothers as often as possible.
b. Mom would rather you are financially secure instead of buying her fancy presents. A call or a card is enough. She doesn’t want to be worrying about you doing without necessities to give something to her. Your love and the sound of your voice are enough to make her happy.
c. Mom wants you to remain in a right relationship with God for two reasons: First, because your life will be happier and second because she wants to spend eternity with you in heaven.
The eighth thing Mom wants you to know is:
8. MOM COOKS TO SHOW YOU SHE LOVES YOU - ACT ACCORDINGLY
Most moms like to cook. Others hate it. Regardless, I have it on good authority that moms cook for their childrens welfare and enjoyment. All they ask in return is for their children to at least act like they liked it and never tell mom the truth.
The seventh thing Mom wants you to know is:
7. MOM WANTS ONLY YOUR GOOD AND HAPPINESS
Mom will sacrifice everything, go anywhere and do almost anything so that her children will have whatever it takes for them to be happy. No cost is too great; and no burden is to heavy to bear for her children.
The sixth thing Mom wants you to know is:
6. MOM WANTS YOUR LOVE; AND DEMANDS YOUR RESPECT
Just like God, moms went through the pain of childbirth because of love. The very fact that they put up with you for 18 years or more demands that you at least show her the respect she deserves for not killing you when you were in the womb or at age three.
ILLUSTRATION: One Mother’s Day I was preaching in another state and during the Sunday School class I told about one of the two times that I sassed my mother. Now my mother is about 4 foot 11 inches tall and I was approaching 6 foot so I towered over her. She had told me to do something and I told her she wasn’t big enough to make me then stomped off. She told my Dad when he got home from work. He took me into the back bedroom and I sat on the bed. He went thru the tedious process of explaining the birth process. How a woman is never closer to death than during the final stage of birth. Of the pain; of the humiliation in the position a mother-to-be is in; and of the love she had for me to go through all that. Of course I was in tears by the time he finished. I started to go on with the class but a lady in the audience asked, "So you didn’t get a whipping?!"
And I said, "Oh yes I did. Dad gave me the biggest whipping in my life, saying that it was to drive home that lecture he had just given."
The fifth thing Mom wants you to know is:
5. I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD AND I CAN TAKE YOU OUT.
(The above is a quote Marlene heard in a scene from the Bill Cosby Show)
I have pieced together 20 things I have overheard Marlene say over the past 40 years, so they will not be chronological nor the exact quotes, after all it has been 40 years!
Marlene’s Top 20 Life Lessons: (as well as I can piece them together)
Life’s Lesson Number 20 Is About: The Value A Job Well Done
"If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
Life’s Lesson Number 19 Is About: Time Travel
"If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to slap you into the middle of next week!"
Life’s Lesson Number 18 Is About: Logic
"Because I said so, that’s why."
Life’s Lesson Number 17 Is About: Foresight
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident."
Life’s Lesson Number 16 Is About: Irony
"Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about."
Life’s Lesson Number 15 Is About: Dichotomies
"Shut your mouth and eat your spinach."
Life’s Lesson Number 14 Is About: Stamina
"You will sit there young lady until all that spinach is gone."
Life’s Lesson Number 13 Is About: The Weather
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
Life’s Lesson Number 12 Is About: Hypocrisy
"If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times not to exaggerate!"
Life’s Lesson Number 11 Is About: The Circle Of Life
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
Life’s Lesson Number 10 Is About: Behavior Modification
"Stop acting like your father!"
Life’s Lesson Number 9 Is About: Envy
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do."
Life’s Lesson Number 8 Is About: Anticipation
"Just wait until we get home." or "Just wait until your father gets home"
Life’s Lesson Number 7 Is About: Receiving
"You are going to get it when we get home!"
Life’s Lesson Number 6 Is About: Medical Science
"If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
Life’s Lesson Number 5 Is About: How To Become An Adult
"If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up."
Life’s Lesson Number 4 Is About: Genetics
"You’re just like your father, and that’s not a compliment."
Life’s Lesson Number 3 Is About: Wisdom
"When you get to be my age, you’ll understand."
Life’s Lesson Number 2 Is About: Justice
"One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you"
and
Life’s Lesson Number 1 Is About: Three Year Old Sons
"No Jon; just because you feel your sister move in my tummy does not mean I ate her!"
Now back to The Top Ten Things Mom’s Want Their Children To Know
The forth thing Mom wants you to know is:
4. MOM IS NEVER HAPPIER THAN WHEN ALL HER CHILDREN ARE SAFELY UNDER ONE ROOF
That is why Thanksgiving and Christmas are such vital special occasions in our country and we should never allow them to be abolished. It is a time for family to get together. It’s a time for Moms to fuss over their children.
I remember when Marlene’s mom was alive we would visit my mom on Thanksgiving and her mom on Christmas. I loved it - for the obvious reasons, but there was a special reason I liked it: I didn’t have to do a thing. Nell (my mother-in-law) fussed over me and her other son-in-law, Sammy, like a mother hen over her chicks. She was never happier than when we were there at Christmas.
And my mom? Well, let me just say that when in my mother’s house, you do not have to worry about even moving if you don’t want too. I grew up not doing anything around the house. Oh, I worked outside some but my mom was a perfectionist, and still is, so we kids never had to do anything because we exploited her desire to have everything perfect. Once we did it wrong a time or two, she took over from that point on. She is still that way today. I don’t think she has ever caught on - OR, could it be that she just likes doing those things? I have my suspicions. The times I have mentioned it to her she would just smile and remain silent. You know how strong willed Marlene is, well, it took her about 3 years to finally get Mom to allow her to load the dishwasher after Thanksgiving dinner, and now she allows the girls to help out with the cooking, serving, cleaning, etc. But the guys? (BIG SMILE HERE) Nothing! Now don’t misunderstand. Once I got married, Marlene made sure that she changed all that. My times of expecting her to do everything around the house lasted about two days. She gave me time to recover from the black eye - oh, you know I’m kidding, But seriously, Marlene taught me the value of helping out.
The third thing Mom wants you to know is:
3. THE PERSON YOU CHOSE TO MARRY IS LOVED BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM AND I LOVE YOU
ILLUSTRATION: God the Father is talking to some of the angels: "Have I ever shown you guys my children and grand-children?" And He whips out this huge wallet and flips out millions of pictures. The angels, smiling with resignation, say "Yes Lord, but we would love to see them again." God carries you and your children close to His heart. Your mom also loves your spouse and your children and carries them in her heart.
The second thing Mom wants you to know is:
2. MOMS HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR AND SHE CAN TAKE IT. BUT BE FOREWARNED, SHE CAN ALSO DISH IT OUT
ILLUSTRATION: A preacher was at a seminar and heard the following: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife!" The crowd was shocked! Then he continued "My mother!" The crowd laughed and he finished the rest of his speech which held everyone’s attention . The young preacher liked the joke so much that, the next Sunday being Mother’s Day, he decided he would use it in his sermon. At the appropriate time in his sermon it came time to tell it so he said: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife!" There was an audible gasp that came from the entire audience. Smiling, he started to continue and realized that he had forgotten the punch line. He stood there for about ten seconds trying to decide what to do, during which time his wife, who was sitting in the second row began to weep out loud.
Now, even more frustrated that He couldn’t remember the punch line he decided to try again in hopes it would jog his memory. "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife!" Still a blank. His wife passed out and fell with a thump into the aisle, and an elder had started walking down the aisle toward him. Women were holding their chests and men were either praying or thanking God he had finally put his foot in his mouth. Panicking, the preacher desperately tried again, "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife" and then blurted out -- "But for the life of me I can’t remember who she was!"
ILLUSTRATION:
Marlene was pulled over by a policeman for speeding. The policeman approached the driver’s door.
"Is there a problem Officer?"
He said, "Madame, you were speeding. Can I see your license please?"
She responded, "I’d give it to you but I don’t have one."
"You don’t have one?"
"I lost it four times for drunk driving."
The policeman was shocked. "I see. Can I see your vehicle registration papers please?"
"I’m sorry, I can’t do that."
"Why not?"
"I stole this car."
The officer said, "Stole it?"
She said, "Yes, and I killed the owner."
At this point the officer got worried. "You what!?"
"He’s in the trunk if you want to see."
The officer looked at her and slowly backed away to his car and called for back up. Within minutes, five police cars showed up, surrounding the car. A senior officer slowly approached the car, clasping his half drawn gun.....
The senior officer asked "Madame, could you step out of your vehicle please!"
Marlene stepped out and said, "Is there a problem, officer?"
"One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner."
"Murdered the owner?"
The officer responded, "Yes, could you open the trunk of your car please?"
Marlene opened the trunk, revealing nothing.
The officer said, "Is this your car Miss?"
She replied, "Yes," and handed over the registration papers to him.
The officer, understandably, was quite stunned. "One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license."
Marlene dug in her purse revealing a license and handed it to the officer. The officer examined the license. He looked quite puzzled.
"Thank you Madame.......one of my officers told me you didn’t have a license, stole this car, and murdered the owner."
Marlene replied, "And I bet the liar told you I was speeding, too!"
And the number one thing Mom’s Want Their Children To Know
1. MOM THINKS WITH HER HEART
Just yesterday Marlene and I took a lunch break while car shopping and she told me an interesting fact she had learned from the Health Channel: In women, they consistently find brain cells in the heart. Now I don’t know what all that means physically, but I can tell you what that means to me spiritually and that is that in a real way, moms think with their hearts. We always knew they were more emotional, and now we may know why. I think that phenomena begins at conception and never ends.
So when your mom cries at the very mention of you or something that floods her mind, deal gently with her, because she can’t help it - she’s a mother.
