My mom has given me a lot of good advice over the years. Some of my favorites include making sure I’m careful walking in the mall parking lot (even if it’s at 2 PM in broad daylight) and teaching me the value of blush. (My skin tone is classified as “porcelain” which is the nice way of saying “ghost-like,” so blush is definitely a necessity for me.)
However, the most valuable advice my mom has given me has been through her example in the way she’s lived–things like including the outsider and opening her home to my friends and the church more times than I could count. There have also been those big life decision times when the advice I needed most was from the woman who knew me best and loves me most, even if it was hard to hear at first.
I began asking our staff what advice their moms have given them and I heard a line similar to my own: the advice that impacted them most did not come with words, but in the examples their moms lived.
They also had a lot to say about the funny (but true) side of mom advice. There were two staff members that emailed back the exact same advice from their mothers: “Always wear clean underwear.” Is that hilarious or what?!
Here are some other things they said...
“My mom's name was Fran, short for Francille. She was a country girl. Her #1 piece of advice: When you get your driver's license and see the light turns green, count 1001, 1002, 1003 before entering the intersection because someone may run the light and hit you!” - Norman Behymer
“My mom was such a strong person for me after my dad died when I was 12. She would tell me “God will provide,” which I didn’t fully understand as a teenager but began to see as food would show up on our porch when we were running low. I think that was when I started to understand God’s love for me and that He would always provide.” - Beth Dempsey
"It's not if you'll go through trials, but when."
"Be Jesus, you may be the only Jesus they see today." - Kayla Franks
“Go out of your way to be kind and generous to others. Work hard and don't take shortcuts. Pay your debts on time and don't spend excessively.” - Karen Kinnaird
“If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.” - Dondra Lonsdale
“My mom has never preached advice, but has always modeled ministry to me.” - Sarah Sutton
“My mom wanted me to obtain my college degree before I got married. She knew firsthand how difficult it was to go to night school with three kids and she didn’t want us to experience that hardship. She went so far as to tell my sister and I that she would wear a full sequin red dress to our wedding if we didn't graduate from college before getting married. It was the joke of our family, but she also meant it. Her encouragement to seek out education eventually led to me getting my PhD degree. The joke was on her that she had to wait a long time for grandkids since my sister and I took education seriously. But they were worth the wait. I'm thankful for her constant encouragement of education in my life.” - Carisa Wilsie
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Thank you, moms, for all the good advice, both spoken and lived! What is the best piece of advice your mom has given you?
Meet the Author!
Makenzie graduated from Wheaton College where she majored in Christian Ministry, Urban Studies, and Photography and somehow managed to apply all of her degrees to work in the real world! She has a passion for community development after years working in urban ministry in Chicago, non-profits in Austin, and part-time roles at CRBC the past 4&1/2 years. She loves being able to equip and serve the church and recently stepped into the full-time role as Minister of Missions at CRBC which includes both local and global partnerships. Despite being the missions minister, she is quite the homebody. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, loves Oklahoma City, and loves to be with her friends, family, and ADORABLE weenie dog, May.