“Your Mother Was Not a Failure” 😀

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 1:9

Maybe it’s because we just celebrated Mother’s Day, but we often find ourselves quoting one of Mom’s favorite sayings, which had two variations: “Your mother was a failure,” and/or “Your mother was not a failure.” Mom was good at using humor to make a point or share an important lesson. Good manners were an important legacy she wanted for her children, and many times she told us “our mother” was or was not a failure. 🤣

Her humorous way of delivering lessons on manners never missed its mark.

“It’s always the mother’s fault.” – Sophie Mae Jette

William Wilberforce is one of my heroes. Most people remember William Wilberforce as the man who fought to end the slave trade in England. Fewer remember that he also called for a “reformation of manners,” believing everyday acts of selfishness, disrespect, and disregard slowly erode the soul of a culture.

As a culture, are we slowly losing the art of considering other people? Are we in need of a Wilberforce movement?

Every civilization runs on millions of tiny acts of invisible consideration:

• showing up when you said you would
• answering texts and emails promptly … or at all
• RSVPing before the final hour
• putting the shopping cart away 😇
• not treating every commitment like a tentative weather forecast

Wilberforce believed the slave trade persisted partly because society had normalized coarseness, selfishness, and moral numbness. In his mind, manners were not superficial. They were evidence of whether people still saw one another as image-bearers of God.

Being inconsiderate of others is more than just bad manners. It’s an outward sign of an inner condition. It reveals how we actually see one another. It may not seem like a big deal, but every culture slides toward devaluing humanity one small act of disregard at a time.

Jesus taught, “The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light.” The eyes Jesus was talking about were the condition of our hearts. Our behavior is shaped by what we perceive and believe. What Jesus, Wilberforce, and my mom understood is that we don’t need more laws to change behavior; we need a change of heart.

A friend recently reminded me, “The New Testament calls the church to faithful presence, not panic and not passivity. We engage the world while remembering the Kingdom of God does not arrive on Air Force One or through campaign slogans.” The Kingdom of God arrives with us.

There are no ultimate political or legal solutions to our problems because beneath every expression of brokenness lies a deeper spiritual disease that only Jesus can cure.

Political leaders, governments, armies, and mothers may restrain evil for a season, but they cannot heal the human heart.

There is nothing new under the sun. We are a culture desperately in need of a new reformation of manners.

And no, not everything is the mother’s fault.

Although Mom would probably disagree. 😂

Run the play. Always be considerate of others.

Finding Our Place in the Story

What “small” act of consideration might actually be a much bigger expression of God’s Kingdom than I realize?