Model of Consistency

As I read through the many Mother’s Day cards in a local store, I was reminded of the many attributes of Mothers: encouraging, supportive, empathetic, loving, selfless, hard-working, etc. Thinking about my own mom, the last two attributes are particularly descriptive, though at appropriate times, all of the others fit as well. One thing that seemed to be missing as I read through the cards was “consistency”.

In recent years, I have begun to treasure those people in my life who are consistent. The ones who you can be confident are the same regardless of their location, company, or situation. My mother is at the top of the list of those people I can count on to practice what they preach, to never have a hidden agenda, to be the same person in public and in private. Looking back over the years, this is something that she either intentionally or unintentionally modeled to me as the proper way to conduct yourself … not by her words, but by her actions.

As a parent, it is a little nerve-racking to realize that there are two little minds who see me in both public and private settings and they are able to measure my words against my actions. Mom had four of those little minds spread out over twenty five years. While things and people may change with time, I’m banking on the fact that what my sisters and I saw over a quarter century of growing up is not likely to change. Mom, thanks for being “consistent”, for being constant, for teaching and modeling for us what it means to be a Christian every moment of the day.