The Wisdom Of A Mother

A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. Proverbs 10:1

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States of America, owed much of his success to his own wisdom and to that of his mother, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. As a member of the army at age fourteen, Andrew was captured by the enemy and put in prison where he contracted smallpox. His mother arranged for his release and nursed him back to health. After taking care of her son, she responded to the urgent need for nurses in the war. She lost her life while serving her country, but before she died she spoke these words to Andrew, which became some of the guiding principles of his life:

Andrew, if I should not see you again, I wish you to remember and treasure up some things I have learned in life: In this world you will have to make your own way. To do that, you must have friends. You can make friends by being honest, and you can keep them by being steadfast. You must keep in mind that friends worth having will in the long run expect as much from you as they give to you.

To forget an obligation or to be ungrateful for a kindness is a base crime—not merely a fault or a sin, but an actual crime. Men guilty of it sooner or later must suffer the penalty. In personal conduct always be polite, but never fawning. None will respect you more than you respect yourself. . . .

Never wound the feelings of others. Never brook wanton outrage upon your own feelings. If you ever have to vindicate your feelings, or defend your honor, do it calmly. If angry at first, wait till your wrath cools before you proceed.^a

All of us should be grateful for fathers and mothers who passed their wisdom along to us. What parental wisdom do you treasure?

Lord, thank you for the wisdom of my parents.