Resolution for 2009
Wisdom Exchange
Year after year folks make false promises to themselves and others called New Year’s resolutions. At the top of the list are things like loosing weight, saving some or more money, going to church every Sunday, and so on. I have decided never, ever to make another New Year’s resolution… well, except this year. My resolution for 2009 is to fall back on good old fashioned Mother Wit.
What is ‘Mother Wit’? An expression for the wisdom stemming from an innate ability to draw from natural or practical intelligence; it is common sense.
[ Noun— sound practical judgment; "Common sense is not so common"; "he hasn't got the sense God gave little green apples"; "fortunately she had the good sense to run away" ]
I often find that good Mother Wit guides us through life’s challenges. This article offers a few doses that may even be helpful to President Obama… though I doubt that he will ever read this blog. I am however, sure that throughout his life he heard his share of wisdom from his beloved grandmother… perhaps even one or more of the samples in this article. I do hope he can draw up Mother Wit when it serves him best during his presidency.
As an avid reader of the Bible and its teachings, I believe the values and mores most people live by have been passed down from generation to generation since the beginning of time. There are many illustrations in the Bible where situations call upon the sense of God when they could have been encountered through the use of common sense.
On Foolishness and Nonsense…
Two construction workers were taking their daily break for lunch. As they opened their lunch boxes, one worker said to the other… “Bologna again! This is the third time this week; I hate bologna sandwiches.” The other worker said; “Joe, why don’t you ask your wife to pack something different?” Joe answered, “I’m not married, I made the sandwiches myself.” The moral of this little story is… “Most of the baloney we have in our lives, we create ourselves.”
Paraphrased from the sermon of Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.)-62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate, for the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, elected the 14th Bishop of Maryland; the first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, on June 28, 2008.
“This Storm Is Your Own Fault”
Sometimes storms come through no fault of our own. Other times, through, we incur the consequences of our choices or sinful decisions that hurt ourselves and others. We’re convinced that we don’t deserve rescue.
Is there a way through?
Jonah, and Old Testament prophet, rebelled against God’s will for him. The ship upon which he fled from God delivered him over to darkness and despair. A terrible storm arose. Jonah knew this was his fault. He told the crew to throw him in the water. Overboard, he encountered a huge sea-creature, large enough to swallow him whole. Jonah cried out to God for help. God heard and delivered him.
Like Jonah, we don’t blatantly turn our backs on God; we just get on a ship going in the opposite direction. In the darkness of our self-made storms, we can cry out and He will rescue us. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Written by Marie Armenia a speaker, writer, songwriter and singer living in Tennessee.
Mother Wit Tidbits From My Mother… Elizabeth (Liz)
I remember many things my mother used to say to me as a young girl who while growing up, often voiced her opinion about people’s situations. One saying my mother used many times came to mind after hearing and reading these two stories: “Nothing goes over the devil’s back that won’t buckle under his stomach.” This refers to situations when a person or persons willfully attempts to do something wrong (lie, cheat, steal, covet, hurt, etc.) to another.
Others my mother often used over the years are:
1) “For everything you say about others… there are seven who will throw it right back at you.” (Galatians 6:7) “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
2) “The law of Karma goes around seven times.” (Proverbs 6:31) “Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.”
3) “Be aware of the company you keep… even when you think you won’t be judged by what they do.” (Ezekiel 33:27) “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.”
This last one has guided me most of my life. In fact, I have become very selective and mindful of the integrity of my friends and acquaintances. Now, if I can just remember to always use and rely on Mother Wit, 2009 should prove to be a very good year.
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© 2008, 2009 Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved
