Have you ever heard the song "Jesus loves me?" Where it has the lyric "because the Bible told me so," in my case it can be changed to"because my mama showed me so." Show, don't tell. Prove, don't preach. And when it comes to knowing love, what better place to start then with a mother's love. As Randy Travis sings it:
Are you telling me
You've never seen an angel
Never felt the presence
Of one standing by
No robe of white
No halo in sight
Well, you missed the most obvious thing
Man are you blind
Just look in your mother's eyes.
In honor of mother's day, allow me to render a prosaic cantata of praise drawn from Proverbs:
Fathers might give their sons a heritage of estate and wealth but a mother with good sense comes straight from God. On the other hand, it is better to live in the desert than to be with an angry, bitter-tongued woman who prattles on like the unending dripping of a rainy day.
He who wishes to find a virtuous woman needs to know that her price is much higher than that of mere jewels. Her husband's heart must be full of faith in her if he is to reap a full measure of her bounty and know not her frustration. In her goodness the good wife and mother looks after what her family shall wear and she is always at the business at hand. The good mother is like a ship-of-trade going here and there to bring food to her family. She rises when it is still dark to feed her family and care for their needs. She enterprises and make sure the family has adequate finances. The good mother wraps a band of strength around her and grows strong. She sees that her marketing is of profit to her and her light does not go out at night. She is always working.
She stretches her hands out to the poor for she is open-handed to those who are in need. She fears neither ice nor snow for her family are all warmly clothed and her house is most comfortable and well-stocked. Her husband is a man of note who stands with the leaders of the land. She clothes herself in strength and self-respect and faces the future with a smile. Her mouth opens to give out wisdom and the law of mercy drips from her tongue. She keeps vigil over the ways of her family and teaches by example, never even tending to her own needs without first having worked. Her children honor her and her husband praises her by saying to her:
"Surely, innumerable women have done well but you are the wonder of them all."
Yes, show her admiration and respect for that which she does, for her actions already applaud her before God and humanity. Truly, whoever knows such a mother has been blessed by the Creator.
Tags: Mothers day, Randy Travis, Angels, Proberbs
