“A Mother’s Wisdom”

“Share with others.” “Always say, ‘Please and thank you.’” “Leave things better than you found them.” “Be nice to everyone.” These are wise sayings. These are some of the words and oneliners my mother used to say to my brother and me when we were growing up in New Jersey. She had others, too! Like a Mother’s Book of Wisdom, the Book of Proverb is filled with oneliners. The book begins with the line: “Listen my sons, do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” I can hear the king saying to his kids, “Hey!, Listen to what your mother says!” Not much has changed in 2,000 years. I wonder how many of the teachings in the Book of Proverbs are actually instructional words from mother to child?
2,000 years ago, mothers had valuable advice to pass on to their children. They had wisdom to hand down, which they learned the hard way, through their own mistakes. They had knowledge to give which they received through life experiences much as the mothers of today.
I can hear my mother yelling up the stairs, “Keep your room clean!” I can hear her say, “Put things back where you found them. Clean up after yourself.” Words of wisdom.
“Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.” “Always wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident.” “Make your bed in case of a house fire.” More words of wisdom. Maybe you heard words like this from your mother. And maybe you passed them on to your children and grandchildren. Maybe you can hear your mother saying, “Wash your hands before you eat.” Maybe she warned, “If everyone else jumped off the bridge, would you jump too?” But then, she did not know about bungee jumping.
The last chapter of the Book of Proverbs begins with the statement of a mother to a son. The chapter begins as the king remembers the statement his mother passed on to him. He remembers his mother’s oracle.
Chapter 31 begins: “These are the sayings of King Lemuel – an oracle his mother taught him.” He remembered his mother’s words of wisdom. He remembered her words of inspiration, motivation, and love that shaped him and his career. Then the king passed his mother’s wisdom on to his family and eventually to his country. The king’s mother said, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” She taught him, “Defend the rights of the needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).
A mother’s words to her children are valuable. These two verses influenced a king, shaped a nation, molded a country to search for peace and work for justice. Through the years these words from a mother to her children have motivated others. These words inspired an old Albanian woman, who grew up in Yugoslavia, who became a Roman Catholic Nun, who lived in poverty in India, who the world knew as Mother Teresa, who struggled for peace and worked for justice.
In Oslo, Norway, on December 10, 1980, this small, stooped woman in a faded blue sari and worn sandals received the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa’s weapon against injustice was a caring heart. Her message for the world was a message of peace. A tough, vibrant peace that came from a Mother to her children was demonstrated through genuine gestures of love as she cared for the sick and dying, the forgotten and the poor.
A few years later Mother Teresa spoke at a conference on Quantum Physics and Religious Mystics at the Oberoi Towers Hotel in Bombay, India. In a firm voice she spoke as a mother to her children. To the assembly, Mother Teresa passed on her words of wisdom, “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”
The book of Proverbs ends with a description of a faithful woman. It says: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the day to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”
On this Mother’s Day, give thanks for your mother and for all the women who have made a difference in your life. Celebrate their lives and love. Thank GOD for the grace they have shown and the forgiveness they have poured out. Give thanks for their intelligence and insight, knowledge and wisdom. Then pass that wisdom on to the next generation. A mother’s wisdom never goes out of style!