I insulted his mother, so he beat me up

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Her children rise up and called her blessed; her husband also praises her.” Proverbs 31:28 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “I insulted his mother, so he beat me up”

I got beat-up once as a kid. Okay, more than once. I actually got beat up a lot because I was something of a wuss as a kid and I got picked on a lot. But in one particular case it was entirely my own fault. I had a friend named Philip. He was a big kid. Solid and strong. He probably grew-up to play offensive lineman in the NFL. He was that kind of big. But he was a gentle giant. Quiet, easy-going, and nice to everyone. So much so that skinny little me used to roughhouse with Philip and I never felt as if my life was in danger.

Until the day I insulted his mother. I don’t remember why and I don’t remember what I said. He must have made me mad about something and before I realized what I was doing, out of my mouth popped something like “Yeah, well you mother wears army boots,” or “She drinks whisky and works on carburetors,” or something equally clever. At that point Philip was still a giant but he was no longer gentle and I learned an important lesson that day – don’t insult a guy’s mother.

One year a greeting card company decided to supply free Mother’s Day greeting cards to prisoners in a men’s prison. They thought they had enough, but they weren’t even close. The demand was so heavy that they had to call the warehouse to send an emergency resupply. The event was so successful that they decided to do it again for Father’s Day. But this time the demand was much lower. Fathers were no where near as popular as Mothers in the hearts of those prisoners.

What is it about mothers that makes them so special to us? It probably started with nine months of bonding in the womb. And then there’s the maternal instinct that makes most mothers such tender caregivers of their children. And then, more to our theme for this month of finding sources of renewed hope, mothers are often our biggest fans in life. Mine sure was. I was a mamma’s boy and I was always running to her to kiss the boo-boo or to listen to all my woes and sorrows. I was forty-two and I was still running to my mommy to make it all better.

When it comes to mothers, mine was a rock star (not literally). So was my wife. Linda was an excellent mother to our children and I’m grateful to have shared the parenting duties with such a strong, capable, wise, and godly woman.

What a powerful and special influence mothers have in our lives! How blessed we are to have good godly mothers. They are such a source of comfort, hope, and encouragement. My mother and my wife are both in heaven now, but I will honor them on Mother’s Day just the same. I encourage you to honor yours too. (And for goodness sakes, whatever you do, don’t insult a person’s mother!)

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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