By Terry Allen
We knew a lesson was about to come when Lucille “Big Mama” Allen stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the “big room” where we all watched TV, ate dinner and, at the end of the day, slept.
This particular advisory, “check yourself before you wreck yourself” was often repeated in the house because so many of Big Mama’s family members had emotional buttons that were easily pushed.
Right in the midst of an ongoing tirade, Big Mama would call out your full name and say “Terry Allen, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself”!
Lucille “Big Mama” Allen wan- ted to know that the disposition that you are displaying now needs some attention and redirection. NOW! What was lesson? Big Mama wanted you to pay attention to or to immediately improve your own behavior.
Big Mama wanted you to state your case with pure motives. And if you cannot be accountable and self-aware and if your motives are not pure, Big Mama’s advice meant that you need to work on it. Today! Not tomorrow! Lucille “Big Mama” Allen plat- form was always steeped in the Biblical word. The reference she used for this was as stated in the Bible. _ _Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Some of us who were ranting do not have the correct hearts for speaking our mind. I can see Big Mama saying that two of our country’s governors about community safety. Big Mama’s phrase is also floating out there in pop-culture today comes from a rap song and then a movie, “Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self.”So that is what we are going to do today. We are going to check ourselves before our attitudes wreck us and cause us problems. Let’s commit our- selves to living wisely and check ourselves.
The iconic Herbert Kelleher, the former CEO of Southwest Airlines, once said: “When we select employees, we consider attitude more important than degrees and know how. We use no psychological or aptitude testing. We don’t care much about education and experience, because we can train people to do whatever they have to do. We hire attitudes.”
Terry Allen is an award- winning multi-media journalist and owner of 1016 media
