Credit: corbisimages.com

Hi There! 

Welcome back for more Mother Wit Monday. I was thinking about the myriad of wise old sayings I received from my mother, grandmother, and aunts as I was growing up, and it was a challenge choosing which one to go with for today. But I think I've put my finger on a winner!

You know, it's common to hear the words, "I wish..." come out of the mouths of of young people and adults alike. 

"I wish I was a millionaire."

"I wish I could drive a car like that."

"I wish I could be prom queen."

"I wish I could get a promotion on my job."

When we were young children, we were often encouraged to make wishes. (Think about all those years of blowing out candles on birthday cakes). I remember it well. But I also remember that as I got older, I began to hear more and more that WISHING WON'T MAKE IT SO. Over time, life itself began to bear this out. You can't just wish something into existence. You have to come up with a good plan and put some deliberate and consistent action into that plan in order to make those wishes come alive. I'm thankful that adults in my life didn't want to sell me a false bill of goods that by some magical means I could get what I wanted out of life. By weaning me off of wishing and empowering me to take action, they were setting me up for good success.

Take time today to talk to your tween/teen about their wishes and dreams and ask them open-ended questions about how they see them coming to pass. They may surprise you with the answers they give. But if you find that there's still more wishing than doing, let them know that the power to achieve their goals is God-given and He's stored it on the inside. All they have to do is access it, and the wishes that really matter in life will ultimately come true.

Tell me, what mother wit message do you still reflect back on now that you're an adult?