5 Important Life Lessons I Learned From My Mom

My family has been a very important element in my faith and growth in Jesus Christ. I count it a huge privilege that both my mom and dad were strong in their faith and tried to put Christ first in everything they did. This came across to me loud and clear as I grew up in a strong family of faith. My mother was the one that led me to Christ at the tender age of five years old. I remember coming home from church and feeling uneasy about what I had learned that morning and asking my mother to talk to me. She took the time to sit me down and explain God’s plan of salvation to me and she led me to Christ that day.

My mom went home to be with the Lord seven years ago and I miss her every day. When you have someone you love die and go home to be with Jesus it is sad but happy at the same time. You are very sad that they are gone but you know that they are with Jesus and that is an awesome and comforting thought. There are many lessons that my mother taught me but these five are especially memorable to me.

1. Put God first in your life

This first point is the big umbrella under which everything else falls. My mom showed me this on a daily basis. She had a walk with God that was evident to me even from an early age. This was evident in everything our family did as we never scheduled anything that would conflict with things going on at church. God truly needs to be first and at the center of our lives if we are to live according to His plan and His will.

2. Eat dinner together every night

This may seem like a strange lesson but let me explain. My mom made family dinner a priority every night. I am the 4^th of 5 children and we were involved in sports, cheerleading (my sister was not me), band, jobs…etc. We were a very busy family that always seemed to be on the run. Yet, my mom made it a priority that we have one meal together each night. Now, as a 47 year old adult, I look back and see the wisdom and blessing that this priority made. My brothers and my sister and I remain very close (even though we live far apart) and they all have dropped everything to be with one in need. Mom taught us that God was first but family was a very strong priority and by eating together regularly each day, we grew a bond that has been a model for me to take to my own family.

Mom taught us that God was first but family was a very strong priority and by eating together regularly each day, we grew a bond that has been a model for me to take to my own family.

3. Stay humble

Mom was a very humble servant and loving wife. She was a friend to many other women in the church. She was a Sunday school teacher and she sang in the choir but she truly was a helpmate to my father. My dad was heavily involved in the leadership of the church and he seemed to always be at church either for a meeting or planning or something but he was always there. Mom was more behind the scenes but was equally vital and important not only to our family but too the church as well. She showed a humility even in her last days of fighting cancer when this terrible disease can take away your strength, your dignity, and your life. I remember one moment fondly just a few days before she would die. I was sitting with her in her bed as she was on hospice and was very weak and there was a laundry basket nearby with clean but unfolded laundry in it. She looked at it and said that she wished she had the strength to fold the laundry. She was humble and wanted to serve even when she was in the final hours of her life.

4. Love the world

My mother had a true love for the world. Mom always gave someone the benefit of the doubt and would help out those in need. She had a love for those around her that was inspiring to me. She cared especially for the younger children in our neighborhood. We had something called “Bible Club” in our home for many years. This was a club in which mom would teach me and my friends a Bible story using flannel graph and telling a story that we could understand. Most of my friends were not church people so this was a great way to show the love of Jesus to our friends. Our house always was the “hub” of the neighborhood. Every wiffle ball game, every basketball game, every football game…happened at our house. Our grass had worn out spots for where the baseball bases were placed and mom’s flowers never looked the best (as the landscaping area was a double) but my friends felt safe and wanted to be at our house. Mom always made lunch or snacks and she is the one that made that happen. Looking back now some 40 years later, I want my house to be that house too. I want my son’s friends to want to be at our house. I want to grow in my love for my neighbors and someday be like my mom.

5. Invest in others

Our lives our empty and without life unless we invest in the lives of others. My mother taught me that over and over. I already mentioned how she invested in the other neighborhood kids and how she invested in our family but mom invested in many others as well. She was part of a women’s Bible study approximately 50 years ago (before I was even born) that continued for about 20 years. This was way before the current church trend towards Bible study. She often hosted this group and was a regular teacher and gave of her time and efforts to invest in these women. She also became a mentor for some other women in the church that were going through difficult times. Mom was easy to talk to and a good listener and many women gravitated towards that. Jesus showed this picture by investing in the “12” and even investing more intentionally in Peter, James, and John. We need to invest in other people to show the love of Christ to all. Mom did that.

This short list of lesson that mom taught me was in some ways easy to write, as many lessons quickly came to mind. I am eternally thankful to God for giving me Christian parents that pointed me and showed me the way to follow God.

Read more about Christian mothers here: 12 Qualities of a Christian Mother

Tagged as: Life lessons, Mom