20 Children,
obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers,
provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
(Colossians 3:20-21 King James Version)
"Love was in the room And new life
was born where only death had been Love was in the room And death and hell
would never reign again When the glory of the Living God Broke through to the
darkness of the tomb The earth was filled with His beauty And love was in the
room"
Dolly
Parton Hillbilly singer made famous these words in her tune "9 to 5",
"Workin' 9 to 5, What a way
to make a livin' ,Barely gettin' by, Its all takin' and never given."
This writer, like Winston Churchill, when talking to his
biographer about his mother said, "she was my first and greatest
teacher". I thought, how could I explain to anyone that my mother always
worked from 5 to 9. How could I possibly explain her tiredness when she sat at
the table with her family, after working all day in the fields and otherwise,
still preparing a meal and, When I was a child, (85 years ago) she had none of
the modern conveniences. Every meal cooked on a wood burning stove. We did not
have power lines so there was no refrigeration, no electric pots, toasters,
mixers, or anything to make cooking easier.
If anyone were to ask me the secret of what
"propelled" this nation into this worlds superpower status... Super
in military, education, research, commerce, Christianity. My answer would be
"the mothers of our nation." Most mothers I know, certainly including
mine, did not let their children bask in the comfort zone of laziness. Instead
of letting them sit on their assets reading trash magazines more recent years,
watching trash television, or the only exercise in their life; just moving
their fingers on the computer, they made sure they were stuffing away in their
minds, the brain power they would need in their chosen areas of endeavor.
Successful motherhood involved tough love. They love their
children enough to discipline, made sure their children did not become what
THEY wanted them to become, but what GOD wanted them to become. No mother
can be proud to think their child is a leech off their neighbors, or fellow
productive citizens. I have never known a parent who did not take pride in
productive children, grandchildren, even if as fortunate as this writer,
great-grandchildren.
Most mothers I knew, and certainly my own mother, and grandmothers,
did not make "idols" of their children... That their children could
do no wrong.
No one can grow or develop in a comfort zone, amid trust
funds, amid the spoiling of parents and grandparents. "Into each
life some rain must fall" on every beautiful rose
bush, there are thorns, every road cannot be bump free, even Jesus said," In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33). The apostle Peter told us that our trials and tribulations are worth
more than gold. You must have slavery to self, in order to
be truly free. The
productive life does not come easy, homework, memorizing, reading, show me your
books and I can predict your future. Fill me in on your habits, and I can
predict your success. You must learn to separate your needs, and wants. We live
among broken people, in a broken world. Surely with all
the economic successes of this country, we have learned that
nothing is forever... The man on the ladder to success, even in 21st century America
I still remember my mother preparing a plate of food for
someone sick in the community. No matter what race, no matter what economic
class, she wanted them to know that she cared, and everyone liked her cooking.
How could a farm mother not be a Christian? My mother
and grandmothers, were known for their aprons (a protective or decorative garment worn over the front of
one's clothes and tied at the back). I remember each of them with their
aprons full of produce from their garden. Or a setting of small chicks taken
from under a setting Hen. They knew about seed time and harvest, they
understood young animal life... The preserving of excess food. The churning of
milk for butter... Did not need a recipe book. My mother, grandmothers, and the
women of their time, knew about drowning and drought- dry years and wet years.
They knew about hard work, they honored having a husband who through sweat
supported his family. They never thought about vacations or retirement... Would
not know how to shuffle a deck of cards. But, they did know how to advise the
young mothers in the community on the raising of children. They did know how to
deliver babies when a family couldn't afford a doctor, lay out the
dead when the family could not afford the mortician.
I am so glad my parents dragged me to
their country church to sit on hard benches. Showed me by example the
"dignity" of hard work, showed me by example the treasury of savings.
Showed me by example to profit and pleasures of reading. In that tomb AND our blessed
lord was buried in a borrowed tomb, road on a borrowed staple. Love was all
around, "God is love" (John 4:7-10). In the stable, in his tomb,
every corner, every molecule of the walls-air-ground, love was "all
around". When godly mothers are with children, friends, neighbors, we know
that love is all around.
#1727
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