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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day, 2013

I was blessed from birth with a remarkable mother. Not only has her defining characteristic for my whole life been her sincere devotion to Christ, but she has showered upon those around her a veritable treasure trove of wisdom. To this day I recall and even apply many of her wise quotes, from those on common everyday life to spiritual truths.

I know, for instance, that bananas are best when they are flecked with brown and have a golden hue, and that you should never put bananas in the refrigerator. Why? Because she used to sing us the Chiquita Banana song and it was right there in the lyrics.

She has always enjoyed quoting Alice from Alice in Wonderland by assuring us that "One never knows ... and if one does know, one can't be quite sure." It really is a good position to take.

Some of her sayings exhibit keen insight into human nature. For instance, she is fond of saying, "'Yes, but' means 'No'." How true! We will even hand that to God, won't we? So, as an example, we might read, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it" (Pro 3:27) and realize we're not doing that. And we'll "agree" with God ... with stipulations. "Yes, but ..." and we'll give the reasons why we cannot or will not do it now. Which is a "no".

Now, as a person who is concerned (as, I believe, most human beings are) about what other people think of you, my mother had this bit of wisdom to offer: "You wouldn't be so concerned about what people thought of you if you knew how rarely they did." As it turns out, most people are so self-absorbed that they rarely do have the time or inclination to take notice of you. If they do, it is a fleeting notice. And if, as the vast majority of folks do, you don't stand out (because that's the definition of "normal"), it's very likely that you will not often be thought of very often at all. So don't waste too much time trying to be liked or worrying about what other people think of you. That attention might be better spent on thinking about what God might think of you.

She has offered concise statements that help clear up confusion in life. When we were young and would complain that we weren't getting our fair share -- "He's doesn't have to do as much work as I do" or "His piece of cake is bigger than mine" or some such -- she would offer this little piece of wisdom: "Who ever told you that life was fair?" And it's true! If you are going to go through life demanding nothing but fair and complaining when it isn't, you will go through life demanding and complaining.

One of the sayings for which she is famous requires a back story. A part of the family was eating out and my parents asked my younger sister what she wanted for desert. "I want lemon meringue pie." The waiter said, "We don't have any more lemon meringue pie." "Okay, so what do you want now?" "I want lemon meringue pie." My mother is fond, then, of saying "We don't have lemon meringue pie" when people express a demand for that which can't be had. "I want world peace." "We don't have lemon meringue pie." We very often in life get bogged down in desire and demand for things that just don't exist. The presidential election cycle of last year would be a prime example. "From the group of candidates offered on the ballot, we want to elect a good leader who can solve the large problems our country is facing." "We don't have lemon meringue pie." (By implication, then, "Get over it and move on.")

One that hit home in both good and bad ways was this one: "You know what you believe by what activates you." For the believer, there is often a concern about doubt. "I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." That kind of thing. But humans are interesting creatures in that, although we may say and even think that we believe or don't believe something, we will always act on what we truly believe. I may tell you there's a bomb under my desk, but if I don't act on that claim, you can be pretty sure I don't really believe it. So this might be comforting to the believer struggling with doubt while still working at being more Christ-like. That's good news. For the believer who claims to believe and, in fact, lives a life of sinful abandon, this is not good news and you need to check your faith because your actions suggest you believe something different than what you're telling us or yourself.

My mother has been a veritable font of wisdom, without exaggeration, from keeping bananas to my daily walk with Christ. From pithy and wise sayings to a genuine She is a constant joy, my "go-to" person with questions on biblical points, and a blessing from God. It seems a day doesn't go by that I am not touched by her positive influence in my life, and I am deeply grateful for her.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

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