Our moms are a vital part of our lives. Without our moms, we wouldn’t be here. Recently, Mother’s Day has passed here in the States, and it got me thinking about the lessons I learned from my mom’s life. My mom passed away when I was 18 years old and throughout those years, she taught my sisters and me lessons about life and how to live in service to God.
While being eighteen was just a moment in time now, I want to share five lessons my mom taught me with you. In this way, her memory and her love will live on.
1. Always Be Kind to Others
A key lesson that my mom taught me was to always be kind to others. Maybe your mom taught you the same thing. Being kind to others is vitally important. As Christians, we need to extend love and kindness to all people just as Jesus did.
The Bible tells us, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Kindness is something that is hard to find in our world today.
There are mean people in the world who seem to enjoy hurting others’ feelings. In this modern-day, it is more important now than ever to be kind to others. Being kind can be hard if someone is mean to you, but it is what Jesus tells us to do (Luke 6:35).
My mom always told my sisters and me before we left for school in the morning to be kind to every person we saw and that if we didn’t have anything nice to say, we shouldn’t say anything at all.
As a kid, this was crucial information to me because like all kids, I tended to speak my opinion a little too much, which got me in trouble a little too much.
Following my mom’s lesson of being kind to all and not to speak unless you had something nice to say helped me immensely not only in elementary school but also in my adult life.
2. Don’t Limit Yourself by the Clock
A second lesson I learned from my mom was that we don’t need to limit ourselves by the clock. As a teen, I was extremely anxious all the time and the main thing I had anxiety over was the time.
Between school and work, I never felt there was any time, and I was always rushing from one activity to the next to the point that I was just living by the hour on the clock. My mom taught me that I couldn’t let a clock control my life — I had to become flexible.
Being flexible was extremely hard for me at this age as my anxiety caused me to want everything to be in a predictable pattern that felt “safe.” By playing it “safe,” I was missing out on adventures and enjoying memories with loved ones because I was more worried about the time.
Now that my mom has passed, I regret being so concerned with the time. I should have been concerned with making memories with her and living every second to its fullest.
If you have found that your day is dictated by the clock, rip off the bandage completely and strive to live for memories, not the time on the clock.
Every single day is not ordinary because there will never be another day exactly like today. Live each day to the fullest and don’t be weighed down by the clock.
3. The Art of Hard Work
A third lesson I learned from my mom was the art of hard work. I have never seen a person as hardworking as my mother. She raised all three of us at the same time as working a full-time job. Somehow, she still had time to invest in my sisters and me.
She demonstrated in her actions the dedication she had to her job and doing her best job at it. My mom never gave up even when things got hard, such as the behind payments on the house, the several hundred-dollar light bill, or struggling to make ends meet.
Times were difficult, but we managed. Just as mom was a hard worker and always strived her best, I try to do my best and work wholeheartedly for the Lord.
The Bible encourages us by these words, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
The art of hard work is a skill we need to strive for because work is a good thing. God created us to work and take care of the earth (Genesis 2:15). Work can be hard, but when we are working as to the Lord, it is very fulfilling to our souls.
4. Believe in Yourself
A fourth lesson I learned from my mom was to believe in myself. There were always voices in my head that filled me with anxiety. These voices and fears always told me I was a failure and that I would never make anything of my life.
To be honest, I often have these same thoughts drown out my mind, but then I remember what my mom taught me. She told me I needed to believe in myself because she believed in me.
When my mom told me she believed in me as a 15-year-old, I cannot tell you how much my heart swelled with happiness.
Since my mom believed in me, it caused me to believe in myself. It is surprising how a simple saying of “I believe in you” goes a long way in a young adult's mind. If nobody has ever told you that they believe in you, I want to tell you that I believe in you.
Believe in yourself and the limits are unreachable. God wants you to believe in yourself because He created you uniquely with a special purpose for your life.
5. Serving Others
A fifth lesson I learned from my mom is to always serve others. Throughout my entire life, my mom always placed my dad’s, my two sisters', and my own interests above her own. She went out of her way to make sure we were doing well and that we had everything we needed.
My mom demonstrated in her actions the serving nature of Christ. She always placed others' interests above her own just as the Bible tells us (Philippians 2:1-30). As Christians, we need to serve others just as Jesus showed His actions.
My mom taught me this truth as a child and a teen, and I strive to serve others in everything I do now. It can get difficult sometimes, but it is so fulfilling to serve others and brings my heart so much joy. Serving others is a beautiful act of love to others and it is truly embracing Jesus’ teachings.
Missing Our Moms
If your mom has passed away, my heart goes out to you. I know how difficult it is to live without your mom. Missing your mom is normal and experiencing grief and pain is crucial to healing.
If you are missing your mom, I encourage you to write down in a journal some lessons that your mom taught you that you can keep and reflect on in the future.
If your mom is still alive, try to write down some lessons that your mom has taught you in the past or some lessons your mom is teaching you now.
If you want, you could ask your mom to write down some key lessons she wants you to remember, and you can cherish them forever. Our moms always know us better than anyone else and they have so many lessons to teach us throughout our lives.
For further reading:
How to Go Through Life Without Your Mom
What Does the Bible Say about Mothers?
What Responsibility Do Parents Have in Raising Children?
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