“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Proverbs 31:30-31

One of my favorite songs by Three Dog Night is “Mama Told Me.” Each stanza in the song describes a party which this person is attending…the kind of party that mama would not approve. And then the chorus:

Mama told me not to come Mama told me not to come That ain’t the way to have fun, son That ain’t the way to have fun, son

Our mothers had lots of sage advice for us as children. I am certain that my mama would have told me not to go to one of those kinds of parties (and I didn’t).

I asked the prayer meeting group at my church last week to give some examples of “Things That Mama Told Me….” Here are the answers:

• Look both ways before crossing the street.
• Rise and shine.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• (Tell the bullies) sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
• Clean your plate.
• A good name is rather to be chosen than silver or gold.
• If someone told you to jump off a bridge would you do that? (Given in response to “someone told me to do it”)
• Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
• Don’t worry about what people are thinking about you. They aren’t.
• Remember who you are, and Whose you are.

I am sure that you can relate with this list and it may bring memories of other things that your mama told you.

Mother’s Day 2024 has come and gone. For some of us whose mothers have already gone before us, it’s always a time of contemplation…of remembering…hopefully of thankful thoughts and memories. For those whose mothers are still with us, maybe this past weekend was a time to say thank you and to make new memories.

In the bigger picture, all of us who follow Christ and consider ourselves part of His church should be thankful for the women who, quite frankly, make things happen.  As far back as the time of Jesus’ resurrection, it was the women who took the initiative:

“It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this (about the empty tomb) to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” (Luke 24:10-11)

From that point forward, we read about women playing a vital role in the early church. I dare say that not a single congregation would be able to survive without the dedication of women. Let’s not make the mistake of celebrating the women in our lives just one weekend per year. May we always be thankful for their influence in our lives.