One young man went in to apply for a managerial position at a large corporation.  He passed the first interview with ease and the department director was enlisted to make the last interview.

The director discovered from the resume that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way from his early educational experiences to his postgraduate research project.  He didn’t have a year without excellent marks.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?”  The young man answered “none“.   The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school?”  The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old.  It was my mother who paid for school.”   The director asked, “Where did your mother work?”  The youth answered, “My mother worked in a laundry.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands.  The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.   The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?”   The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”

The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The young man felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he sheepishly requested his mother let him wash her hands.  His mother felt strange, but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her boy.   The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly.  Tears fell as he performed the menial task.  For the first time he noticed his mother’s hands were wrinkled and covered in bruises. Some of the bruises were so tender his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the young son realized it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes to enable him to pay for school. The bruises on his mother’s hands revealed the price she had paid for his graduation, academic excellence, and now his future.  After he finished cleaning his mother’s hands, he promptly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.   That night mother and son talked for a long time about her work in the laundry.

The next morning, the now grateful son went back for the remaing interview.  The Director noticed the tears in the young man’s eyes. He asked, “Can you tell me what  you have done and learned yesterday at your mother’s house?”   The appreciative son answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hands and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.”   The Director asked, “Please tell me your feelings.”   The man said, “I learned several important truths.”

1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, I would not have become the successful man you see today.  
2. By washing my mother’s hands and washing her laundry, I discovered the hard life my mother had to endure to put me through school.  I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get some things done.  
3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.  My mother loves me.”

The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager.  I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

Mother’s Day is a great day to truly honor your mother.  Don’t just give her a card.  Look at her hands!  Love on her for the sacrifice she made to afford you the opportunity to be successful in life.

Blessings,

Pastor