Nov
3
2020
Three Things
Posted in Discipleship 8 Comments
I remember her saying this often.
My mother was able to capture things she was trying to teach me in a few words.
It was easy for me to remember.
It was easily rehearsed in my mind.
I now see the benefit of what she was trying to do.
She died forty-five years ago.
Yet, I can still remember so many of her words.
Especially now, I was thinking about something she said when I was in grade school.
She often said it around report card time.
It was around the time when others would ask what you got on your report card.
Comparing grades was never productive.
It was something my mother discouraged.
Nobody needs to know the grades on your report card, she would say.
You are friends.
Friends support each other.
Friends encourage one another, no matter what.
It was then she told me three things to always remember.
Never show someone your report card.
Never show someone your bank book.
Never tell others who you are voting for in an election.
The three things seemed so random.
They didn’t seem to fit or go together.
Two of the three things didn’t even apply to me when she said it.
Only comparing grades on a report card mattered at the time.
It wasn’t until many years later I understood what she was trying to teach me.
We are more than our grades.
We are more than the amount in our bankbook.
We are more than our private choice in an election.
There are so many things that divide us.
My mother was trying to tell me three things that can easily be a great divider.
These three things can separate friends and family.
These three things are not bridge builders in any way.
I thought about my mother’s three things quite often during this election season.
Her simple wisdom astounds me.
What can we do to bring people together?
What really matters?
I see the world that my three granddaughters are inheriting.
It saddens me.
I know that God is in control, no matter the outcome of the election.
As on other election days, some people will rejoice; others will be discouraged.
I think of the farmer who prays for rain for his crops.
I think of the bride who prays for a sunny wedding day.
Which prayer does God listen to?
Is one person’s prayers more important than the other?
God is God.
God is sovereign.
Either the farmer or the bride will be disappointed.
One will seemingly not get that for which they prayed.
It is times like this, I am so glad I am not God.
I would choose to answer according to my feelings.
God is just and impartial.
God does not make mistakes.
My mother, in her wisdom, knew that some things are just not worth arguing over.
Find what you have in common and focus on that, I was taught.
There have been so many days I have wanted to shout that simple truth from a rooftop.
I wonder who would listen?
We have much in common.
We are all made in the image of God.
Imago Dei.
We carry His likeness with us, though His image in us is marred by sin.
There is yelling and screaming and raising of fists.
There is name calling and bullying.
There is the cancellation of friendships and family relationships.
There is hatred where there should be love.
Everyone has their reason for voting the way they do in the privacy of the voting booth.
We go into the booth made in God’s image.
We come out of the booth made in God’s image.
The image of God is still there despite the anger, screaming, and raised fists.
The image of God is hard to see sometimes.
All the more reason to look for it.
All the more reason to trust that it is there, no matter how hard it tries to be incognito.
Imago Dei…always.
Someone will be disappointed.
Put your fists down.
Lower your voice.
Look at each other in the eyes.
Amidst the confusion and anger, there is love.
Amidst the hatred and animosity, there is a Sovereign God.
Amidst the cancelling of friends and family, there is reconciliation.
Amidst the you and them, there is HIM.
Never show someone your report card.
Never show someone your bank book.
Never tell others who you are voting for in an election.
Trust HIM with the outcome and love each other.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)
Amen.
I love ❤️ Reading stories about your mom. A very wise
Woman.
We are created to Glorify God, it is about His Kingdom. So today how will you glorify Him?
He who humbled himself became man to die on a cross
For the sins of the world….
Amen, Carol.
For His Glory always…
Gina
Beautiful wise words of truth on such an appropriate day to hear them! May they ring out loud and clear no matter what the election results might be, help us Sovereign God!
Oh, Carolyn, I hope these words ring out loud and clear!
We can trust the One who is in control.
Gina
You were blessed with a very wise mother! Beautifully written and so needed today!
Thank you, Chris!
Yes, my mother was very wise.
It is a privilege to be able to impart some of her wisdom.
Blessings,
Gina
Thank you Gina for your Mother’s wise words!
You’re welcome, Sherie.
I hope they bless many today and in the days after.
Gina