(0063) – Devotional1
“Lessons I Learned From Mom”
Preached by Rob Sinclair
Sunday Morning – 5/14/17
Introduction:
- I am privileged to be able to honor moms today (it stretches my thinking because I don’t think of this topic very often!)
- Moms teach us so much in life…it’s difficult to narrow down because of the depth of knowledge and advice that they pass on to us. (Sure, I teach her how to use technology once in a while…but she taught me lessons that go beyond the surface of life hacks and into the recesses of the soul – things that permeate my character).
- Although there is no way I can do the topic justice, I’d like to impart to you three major life lessons that my mother made sure I learned growing up.
Body:
- Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
A.I can remember several instances growing up when mom reinforced this lesson:
1.Homework (8th grade book report)
2.Working a terrible job (she could sense the depression)
3.When things broke (car getting hit last week… “it’s just plastic”)
4.Famous for the phrase… “In fifty years from now it won’t even matter.”
B.It’s like mom understood the effects that sweating the small stuff could have on me and made sure I was protected from it – and she knew this without science!
1.A recent study out of Oregon State University found that older men who tend to obsess over little, everyday annoyances tend to live shorter lives than those who let things roll off their backs.
2.Carolyn Aldwin (director of the Center for Healthy Aging Research at OSU) stated that “It’s not the number of hassles that does you in, it’s the perception of them being a big deal that causes problems…taking things in stride may protect you.” Chronic stress in any capacity can lead to high blood pressure, a weak immune system, and insomnia.
3.Other more specific studies state that our cortisol levels may rise 10 to 15 percent when we agonize over something small.
C.Mothers are designed to be a calming and clarifying force in the lives of their children.
1.They can hear things in their children’s voices that tell them they need to spring into comfort mode (I’ll be talking to mom on the phone and wonder, “How did she know that?!!!”
2.It very well may be that God uses mothers in this way and gives them these abilities so that their children might understand the words of Jesus better when He says…
a.“…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?...Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6)
b.And the words of Paul in Philippians 4, telling us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
c.And the Psalmist in Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
3.My mother made sure I understood that God was watching over me…that I have nothing to fear if God and I are connected…that the only lasting part of my life are those things that I have impacted for eternity…that all other things will burn up…things broken, riches amassed, etc.
D.In Titus 2:4, Paul instructs the older women to encourage the younger women of the congregation to love their husbands and their children. The phrase “love their children” is all one word in Greek, and represents a special kind of “motherly love.” The word encompasses caring, nurturing, embracing, meeting the needs of, and tenderly befriending children as a unique gift from the hand of God.
E.So thank your mom today for helping you keep things in perspective…for reassuring you that it will all be okay…that it’s not God’s will for you to be worried all the time and that life’s too short to sweat the small stuff!
- Keep Your Way Pure
A.This one was a harder one to learn, because there were battles.
1.She didn’t just teach me to keep my path pure, she did it for me if I ever dropped the ball.
2.If anything seemed to be unsavory in my life, mom would tell me once to get rid of it (maybe it was something like a Joe’s Crab Shack T-shirt)
3.If I didn’t get rid of it…it would somehow magically disappear. It would vanish into oblivion never to be seen again.
4.She didn’t hover, but kept a lookout far beyond what I was able to see in my youth. And if she knew I couldn’t see the bad things coming, she’d run out in front of me…kill it…and then let me proceed.
B.And mom was able to do this wholeheartedly…she did this by example…she modeled purity in her life.
1.The Lord admonished the parents of children during the wilderness wandering in Deuteronomy 4:9 by stating: “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”
2.It was a charge from the Lord that parents not only take care of themselves spiritually, but that they equipped their children to do so and modeled it every day.
3.Mom was never a “Do as I say, not as I do” type of person. She demanded purity from me and lived a life that showed me how.
C.Perhaps you see some common ground with your own mother. Perhaps this is something that future mothers and young mothers see as a necessary quality to carry into their own mothering styles…but my mom never let me forget this one and I’m extremely grateful for it.
- Life is too Short Not to Enjoy it – But you still need to work hard!
A.My mom is one of the most lighthearted people you’ll ever meet.
1.She makes me do impressions (even though I’m no good) so she can laugh, insists on family game nights, and likes to make brownies on rainy days.
2.She’s the only person who has told me she’s ready for the nursing home so she can read, play scrabble, and do puzzles all the time, (and makes sure I know that I need to come visit her when those days come).
3.She loves the little things and is probably the reason I actually take the time to stop and smell the flowers.
B.And these things are Biblical…mom knows the old Scriptures well…
1.Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 – “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from Him?”
2.Ecclesiastes 5:18 – “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.”
C.So mom knows how to have fun – but she also knows that there’s a time to work!
1.Illustration: Story: Fireworks (how mom would work herself so hard)
2.A large portion of my own work ethic comes from her – and in all of this she taught me to smile…to be content…to love life despite the hard times.
3.Hebrews 13:5 – “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.”
4.A mother instills confidence in her children that as long as they have God in their lives, they’ll never be in need…they can enjoy life even when the day is long.
Conclusion:
- She’s not perfect…life is still hard on her…but she’s making the most of it and wants to make sure that her son (and new daughter-in-law) are as well.
- And I thank God for giving me such an amazing mother…knowing that not all are as fortunate to receive one like her.
- It is my hope this morning that all the moms here were able to smile in listening about the woman God put in my life to influence me…that you were rejuvenated and resolved to begin or keep putting God in the center of your motherhood. That your children would be blessed by you and you by them…and that you cannot wait to keep making memories with the days you have left to influence the little ones in your life.
- Happy Mother’s Day to all here, and to Carmen Sinclair, the woman who made sure I never sweat the small stuff, that I kept my way pure, and enjoyed life the fullest while working hard!
Invitation