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Mama Made the Difference
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M a m a
Made
the Difference
Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me
z
T. D . J A K E S
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York
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Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references are from the New King James Version of the Bible, copyright
© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All scriptural quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible, which is a trademark of The Lockman
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Copyright © 2006 by T. D. Jakes Enterprises
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z
For my wife, Serita,
the mother of my children
For my mama, Mrs. Odith P. Jakes,
the mother of who Ihave become
For Coretta Scott King,
the mother of the civil rights movement
The church sanctuary was adorned with enough roses and lilies to fill
two florists’ shops. The aisles overflowed with people dark-clad in the colors
of mourning—men and women, black and white, young and old, rich and
poor, the famous and the infamous, as well as those unknown to the public
eye. The nation’s power brokers bowed their heads in respect, seated along-
side those able to lift their heads with pride every day, knowing they would
be politically powerless without the efforts of the woman we were there to
celebrate.
As I surveyed the throng of mourners, I counted among our number four
living presidents: President George W. Bush, along with First Lady Laura Bush;
Bill Clinton; George H. W. Bush; and Jimmy Carter. Ahost of great singers, in-
cluding one featured in this book, CeCe Winans, along with her brother BeBe
Winans, the incomparable Stevie Wonder, and a choir of accomplished musi-
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cians, provided a remarkable offering of commemorative spirituals and hymns
that captured the gratitude and grief, the passion and purpose of the woman
we had come to honor: Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
I recalled how on my last visit with her we didn’t dine together as we
oftenhad;herhealthwasdecliningandthestrokehadhamperedherspeech.
Still, she managed to communicate enough with me to inspire me as we
prayed together.
Just as this book was going to press, Mrs. King passed from this life with the
same grace and dignity with which she lived it. Coming less than a year after
the loss of another civil rights pioneer, Rosa Parks, the death of the Reverend
King’s cochampion of equality and justice reminded us that while the torch
of equal rights has been passed, we have not fully illuminated all the dark
corners of prejudice and racism. As we embrace the expansive legacy of this
remarkable woman, this icon of an era in our nation’s history, it seems such
a providential gift to have her daughter Bernice, who delivered such a beau-
tiful eulogy at this service, share firsthand a glimpse of her mother later in
this book.
What I set out to do in writing this book is simple: to pay homage to the
incredible gifts of our mothers and to offer tribute to the wise lessons that they
pass on to us. I learned many of the lessons that I share with you in this book
from my own mother, a strong and resilient woman of grace whose absence
continues to echo in the canyons of my heart each day. But I also observed the
lessons contained here from other mothers such as Mrs. King.
And like so many women who may not be our biological mothers but
who become our spiritual, emotional, and psychological mothers, Mrs. King
demonstrated the lessons she held most dear by the way she lived her life.
Carrying on her husband’s legacy. Overcoming barriers of fear and distrust.
Upholding the practical impact of equal rights for all people. Whether she was
speaking at a council of world leaders, counseling a group of at-risk young
women, inspiring generosity at an educational fund-raiser, or lobbying to re-
move the wrenching stigma of the past, she made a difference.
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Yes, like so many remarkable mothers, Coretta Scott King made a differ-
ence. Certainly she affected the lives of her children: Yolanda, Martin III, Ber-
nice, and Dexter. But she also generously left in the lives of many others a
substantial deposit that will continue to flow forward for many generations.
And so, as Ioffer this book to her, as well as to my own mother and the mother
of my children, I pray that all who read these pages may be ignited by Mrs.
King’s example to make their own life-changing, soul-liberating difference in
the lives of those around them. I dedicate this book then not just to my
mother, my wife, and Mrs. King, but to all the women who will read it and
realize that each person they touch is potentially the next one to change the
world. Thank you for being the hand that rocks the cradle. Through those you
touch, you will rule the world.
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Contents
Introduction: Timeless Teachers in the Classroom of Life 1
Part One
homeroom: lessons on life from
our greatest teachers
Lesson One: Mamas Teach Us to Believe in God 15
Lesson Two: Mamas Teach Us to Believe in Ourselves 22
Substitute Teacher: Learning from Virginia Jamison—
Serita Ann Jakes 30
Lesson Three: Mamas Teach Us to Be Broad-Minded 41
Lesson Four: Mamas Teach Us the Power of Words 47
Lesson Five: Mamas Teach Us to Be Responsible 53
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Substitute Teacher: Learning from Coretta Scott King—
Bernice King 59
Lesson Six: Mamas Teach Us to Pray 70
Lesson Seven: Mamas Teach Us to Let God Be God 76
Part Two
biology lab: lessons on love from
our greatest teachers
Lesson Eight: Mamas Teach Us to Hide Them
in the House 93
Lesson Nine: Mamas Teach Us the Value of Support 103
Substitute Teacher: Learning from Maud Powell—
Colin Powell 108
Lesson Ten: Mamas Teach Us to Love Ourselves 118
Lesson Eleven: Mamas Teach Us to Celebrate Others 131
Lesson Twelve: Mamas Teach Us to Banish the Bitterness 140
Substitute Teacher: Learning from Dolores Hayford—
Jack Hayford 155
Lesson Thirteen: Mamas Teach Us to Set the
Standards High 168
Lesson Fourteen: Mamas Teach Us That Love Has
the Last Laugh 179
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Part Three
graduation day: lessons on longevity from
our greatest teachers
Lesson Fifteen: Mamas Teach Us to Endure 197
Lesson Sixteen: Mamas Teach Us That Education
Is Everywhere 203
Substitute Teachers: Learning from Delores Winans—
CeCe Winans 210
Lesson Seventeen: Mamas Teach Us to Survive in Order
to Thrive 217
Lesson Eighteen: Mamas Teach Us to Be Wise 224
Lesson Nineteen: Mamas Teach Us to Die with the
Doors Closed 233
Substitute Teacher: Learning from Vada Hagee—John Hagee 239
Lesson Twenty: Mamas Teach Us That It’s Never Too Late 250
Lesson Twenty-One: Mamas Teach Us to Live Out Our Legacy 255
Conclusion: A Peek into the Motherhood Hall of Fame 258
Description:From the bestselling author of He-Motions comes a positive and inspirational book of lessons learned from his mother. In the bestselling The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord, Bishop T. D. Jakes examined a woman's most important relationships in life: with God, with her man, and with herself. In the sma
