I love this video by Nicole Johnson. It puts motherhood ... and womanhood ... into perspective . . . God's perspective
It reminds me of a tribute I wrote to my mother about 10 years ago:
The Influence of a Righteous Mother
As I look back over my life and the influence that my mother had on me, I realize that the things she taught me have never left my memory. They are burned into my character and will stay there forever. A righteous mother's influence for good spans the generations and touches the lives of so many more than her own children. Her influence radiates in the lives of her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and out to all they come in contact.
There are five attributes my mother possesses that are worth modeling. Unfortunately, the apple has fallen far from the tree on some of these characteristics. I feel that I (and everyone else in the world) would do well to incorporate these five principles into their lives.
Work Hard
My mother was always working. I'm not talking about a career really, although she did have a good career before marrying my father and having children with him. She was cleaning, cooking, planting flowers, working in the yard, or teaching us to do the same. We had regular jobs that we had to do. She taught us that being part of a family meant everyone chipped in -- not just the mother slaving thanklessly while no one else lifted a finger. She got in there with us and showed us how to work, taught us the proper way to vacuum, to dust, to mop, to wash dishes. She instilled an intense desire to work for what we wanted in life.
Waste Not a Minute
My mother taught us to use our time wisely. We quickly learned that you don't tell Mama that you're bored. If you did, you'd be given some household chores to enliven your day. If we fought or quarreled, we were put to work. My mother lived by the motto that an ''idle mind is the devil's workshop.'' Constructive use of time was paramount, and that principle is indelibly burned into the character of her children.
Keep Your Word
My oldest sister fondly refers to my mother as, "The burning bush." If my mother said it would happen - regardless of whether it was punishment or reward - it would be carried out. So let it be written; so let it be done. She didn't make promises she wasn't prepared to keep. If she promised you something, even if something else came up to intervene, she would still find a way to carry out her promises. In all my years of living, I can't recall that my mother ever told a single lie. Her character was and is beyond reproach.
Be Consistent
My mother was ever consistent. There were no surprises. If you disobeyed, you knew you'd reap the assigned consequences. When it comes to her devotion to God, she is ever faithful, ever true. My mother saw that we were in church ever Sunday. Only on rare occasions, in cases of definite illness, did we miss a Sunday. She taught consistency and faithfulness by example. Although one could hardly say I am consistent in raising my children, at least her consistency in her devotion to God has worked its way deep into my mind.
Serve Others
My mother has one of those sixth senses about serving other people. When I was a young mother, I'd run out of fabric softener in the morning, and who would turn up on my doorstep that afternoon, but my mother carrying a brand new bottle of fabric softener. The woman is amazing. She anticipates the needs and desires of her children with the intuition of a psychic. She lives to serve her children and others.
These
five characteristics that my mother possesses in such intensity affects
not only her own children, but also her grandchildren. And as her
children and grandchildren go out and attempt to follow in her
footsteps others are blessed and impacted for good. The example of a
righteous mother avails much, spans the generations and permeates to
all within the reach of those she touches.
Happy Mother's Day!
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