“Be industrious, work with your hands skillfully.”
As a child, my family ate home-made snacks like, fudge, sugar-cake, “tolum”, caramel pop-corn (crack-a-jack), sweet rolls, buns, cookies, sweet potato pudding, plum stew, damsel stew, guava stew, tambarind balls, paw paw balls, milk & sugar, farine & sugar (yes, I am serious), and the list goes on.
My mom was good at cooking, baking, cleaning, ironing, gardening, writing, counselling and teaching. She was also a Designer and a Seamstress, sewing beautiful dresses for her daughters.
Our home was always fairly clean, (not spotless ☹); it was easy to find stuff and it was always tastefully decorated, of course within our affordability, because we were not rich nor middle class.
Mom was a farmer, she raised chickens for the purpose of eggs and for cooking, she produced coconut oil, tomato catch-up and vinegar. Yes!!. Thinking about it, she was a local manufacturer; she was actually into agro-processing, all for the consumption of family, neighbors and friends.
She certainly showed me how to be make very good use of the hands God has given me. Trust me, I am no where close to competing with such a record for industrious behavior.
Because Mom was industrious, our food choices were very healthy! Because Mom was industrious, we knew we could be industrious too, it was all about choice. Because Mom was industrious, we never went hungry. Because Mom was industrious, we have great memories that bonds us today as siblings.
Mom is much older now, she is still industrious, while she is not doing as much as she used, but that’s ok, because, for she certainly did not waste time with her hands, when it mattered and we are all grown now!
Application: When we are industrious, we create a way out of our need, building beautiful memories. When we are industrious, we are actually being obedient to the word of God, which admonishes us not to be slothful, or to hate work, but rather to use our gifts, talents and abilities, to be good keepers of our homes and to be hospitable.
More lessons from my Mom on Tuesday……..
