Principles My Mother Taught Me

          In preparation for our March mission trip to El Salvador at our last meeting Eldon was sharing about the cultural values of the people and what we needed to do to keep from offending them.  He encouraged us to eat all that we put on our plates or try to get someone else to eat it, because they are a poor people and cannot understand waste like we would see daily in Canada.  He encouraged us to be open   minded and willing to try new foods, but also cautioned us from accepting food when we were unsure of its source or preparation.  When eating meals that had been prepared for us, he encouraged us to simply receive with gratitude what was offered and again, be willing to try new things.

          I think Eldon, knew my mother, perhaps he was in her Sunday School Class years ago.  Isn’t that what our mothers tried to teach us years ago?  To clean up our plates (at my home it was no dessert unless you cleaned up your plate) to take only what we will eat so as not to waste anything.   To receive what was offered to us gratefully.  

My mother’s theory for food that we didn’t like was to try a little and that we would learn to like it, as a kid I thought she had lost it.  How could one ever learn to like something that they didn’t like?  Brian, try some turnip and you’ll learn to like it.  Brian, try some of those beautiful sliced tomatoes and you’ll learn to like them.  Don’t you hate it when your mother is proven right?  Today I love turnip, especially with roast beef and I just love tomatoes.  I smile when I think of how small the list of foods I like would be if I hadn’t followed my mother’s advice and tried things.  Who knew that food could grow on a person?

My mother’s training so many years ago wasn’t just preparing me for a short term mission trip; she was preparing me for life.  Do you receive your meals with gratitude, or do you wish you had something better to eat?  I believe that how we receive our meals is an indication of how we view life.  Are we thankful for life’s little blessings or are we always wishing for something more?  Are we thankful for the wife and/or husband God has blessed us with or are we looking around?  Are we thankful for our home or do we cruise the nicer neighbourhoods in town, thinking that one day we will be happy when we are in one of those?  Are we thankful for the clothes in our closet or do we walk the malls spending more than we can afford on the latest new styles?

Today I am thanking God for my mother; she not only prepared me for going to El Salvador she prepared me for life.  Thanks Mum!

--Brian Cox