Today is May 12th, a beautiful sunny day and a day to honor all mother’s ~ Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mom’s reading this! 🙂  Proverbs 11:16 says, “A gracious woman attains honor” ~ there are two key words in this passage – gracious and honor. Gracious is defined by Webster as: (1) marked by kindness and mercy; (2) characterized by charm and good taste; (3) merciful; (4) graceful. Webster says that Honor is: (1) a person of superior standing; (2) good name; (3) outward respect.  If you’re a mom, do all of these words describe you? If you’re not a mom, do they describe you? Some of these words describe me, but they describe MY MOM perfectly.  Perfectly! But is she perfect, no, she is by far perfect, but that’s what makes her so gracious and honorable ~ she is one of the most gracious and honorable women I know. What makes her gracious is that she is REAL! She makes mistakes, gets back up, and keeps going. She apologizes when she makes an error ~ and she forgives when other’s need forgiving. She is the most kind person I know! She freely gives of her time and her resources. She is a people person and values people ~ one will never hear my mom say that she doesn’t have time to listen or talk to someone ~ she always makes time for other’s.  She is more than charming ~ she is CUTE! She loves to laugh; loves to have parties and cook for people ~ she’s the hostess with the “mostest”! 🙂 She has great taste ~ there’s no yard trash in her yard! ha, ha! She loves out loud ~ she cries for others ~ she prays for others, especially for her husband and her children. She has been my father’s wife for nearly 50 years! And, she’s been my mother for 47 years, so I can say all of these things about her from experience! 🙂 And, my mom is respected. She has always been and continues to be a hard worker, and when combined with all the things I have mentioned it’s no wonder that she is a highly respected woman in her family, circle of friends, and in her community.Â
So, by now you’re thinking, “oh, so Jackie’s using her blog to pay tribute to her mom”….well, kind of, yes! However, more so, I’m using my mom as an example here today. I admire my mom more than any other woman in the world ~ she’s a strong, independent, kind, and godly woman. All things I strive to be every day. So, I’m really writing this as a thank you to my mom for being who she is ~ THANKS MOM! But, also, as a challenge to myself ~ I want to be a Proverbs 11:16 kind of woman! I want to be a gracious woman who attains honor. And, even more so, I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman (read Proverbs 31: 10 – 31).  And, I want to be gracious just like my mom ~ one who give thanks to the Lord for all she is and all she is given ~ humility! ~ one who accepts compliments and recognition without being boastful, but giving all the glory to God. THAT is a gracious and honorable woman. THAT is MY MOM! I want to be like her when I grow up! 🙂Â
Do you have a mom that you want to be like? Maybe not, then I challenge you to find a woman who you would like to be like and ask her to mentor you. WE ALL NEED EACH OTHER! If you aren’t as lucky as I am to have the kind of mom you would have liked, thank God for her anyway….she is God’s daughter! Pray for her. Pray for your relationship. And keep reading, praying, and listening for God’s wisdom. He binds up all of our wounds and he can make all things new! Happy Mother’s Day! 🙂
Jacqueline's Jive 