Teacher Of Life

Teacher of Life

Proverbs 1:1-9

Well here we are on Mother’s day, probably one of the most sentimental days of the year for most people. Some find elation and joy over the excitement of the day.

For others there is a feeling of sadness because of loss or broken relationships.

Today is the day that the most people will call or go to where mother is and check in for a few minutes. Even if it is only within an individuals heart and memory. For many It is a day with a strange combination of joy and guilt.

Hallmark estimates that well over 150 million Mother’s Day cards will be sent this year (but only 95 million Father’s Day cards), making Mother’s Day the third largest greeting card holiday of the year.

U.S. Americans spend an average of $105 on Mother’s Day gifts, $90 on Father’s Day gifts.

The phone rings more often on Mother’s day than Father’s day.

Can you guess the busiest day of the year at car washes?

The Saturday before Mother’s Day

What mom thinks, still matters.

Most of us learned directly from our mothers how to interpret many different situations in life. Mothers tend to teach with two primary methods. The first is the rhetorical question and the second is direct lecture or statements of truth.

Let me share some of the wisdom that my mother taught with me:

Basic LOGIC...

"If everyone else jumped off a cliff would you do it too?"

General MEDICINE...

"If you don’t stop crossing your eyes or making that face, they’re going to freeze that way."

TO THINK AHEAD...

"If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!"

(boy was she right)

She taught me about scientific possibilities like TIME TRAVEL…

If you don’t stop that, I am going to knock you into the middle of next week.

taught me how to respond under pressure

"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you... Don’t you talk back to me!"

Mom thought me about life on the farm

“You room looks like a pig sty.”

taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...

"If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up to be big and strong.

taught me about GENETICS...

"You are just like your father!"

taught me about my ROOTS...

"Close the door, Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me IRONY.

"Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...

"Just wait until your father gets home."

My mother taught me about KEEPING PROMISES

“You are going to get it when I get you home!”

She taught about fervent prayer

“You better pray that this comes out of the carpet!”

And the all time favorite thing my mother taught me – JUSTICE

"One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you’ll see what it’s like! I can’t wait!" ( I can’t imitate the little laugh that goes with that one that was so scary)

The first thing we have to recognize is that every one of us has a different situation.

There is one thing that we all share this morning. We all have mothers; everyone in here is the child of someone.

Some in here may have been adopted or were separated from a parent for a variety of reasons. But this morning our celebration of mother is not restricted to just our biological mothers.

We are celebrating the love and nurture we have received from the women in our lives. I hope each and every one of us recognizes and is able to celebrate that there are women to take a personal and selfless interest in our lives.

All too often we narrow the focus of mother say to just the biological and forget the school teachers, the aunts , the neighbors and the good friends that touched us as with patients, generosity and unconditional love.

Somehow we can take for granted all that they have done and we have left them un-thanked…I am afraid that it would be not different for our biological mothers if there were not an official day set aside to remind us to notice.

Today we celebrate the wisdom and love that God supplies to each of us through the women of our lives.

Our scripture this morning is from the very first chapter in the book of proverbs.

It is credited to Solomon – Son of David.

It starts with a definition for the complete book… A definition of how it is to be used.

“for attaining wisdom and discipline;”

Wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge knows how to light a match, wisdom knows that you don’t play with matches because you could burn the house down. (That is another tidbit of wisdom form my mother.)