Not long ago, while writing about “Many hands make light work,” I mentioned another familiar piece of Mama’s wisdom: “A stitch in time saves nine.”
That saying deserves more than a passing mention because she said it often in many situations.
Mama wasn’t necessarily talking about sewing, although the words certainly came from a time when mending clothes was a regular household chore. A tiny tear in a shirt, dress or pair of pants could often be repaired with a stitch or two. Let it go, and the little tear could be a completely unraveled garment.
One stitch now might save nine ( or more) later.
Mama knew that lesson applied to far more than clothes. Small problems have an irritating habit of growing when we pretend they aren’t there.
The same is true in our relationships.
A misunderstanding, unheeded, can become resentment. An apology postponed becomes harder to make. An intended phone call not made can eventually become a regret.
I have learned that lesson myself. There have been times when a relationship became strained over something that probably could have been settled with one conversation. Instead of saying what needed to be said, I waited. Maybe I thought time would take care of it. Sometimes time does soften things, but sometimes it simply gives a small hurt more time to grow.
Looking back, I can see places where one small “stitch” — a phone call, an apology, a few honest words, or simply being the first one to reach out — might have saved a lot of heartache later. Pride can make that first stitch awfully hard to take, but the most important “stitch” is simply taking care of something while it is still small.
There is a spiritual lesson in Mama’s wisdom, too. We often recognize the little things in our lives that need attention — an attitude we need to change, someone we need to forgive, a habit we need to break or a relationship we need to mend. It is easy to tell ourselves we will deal with it tomorrow.
Scripture warns against that kind of delay. James 4:17 reminds us, “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.”
Mama would have put it in simpler, everyday terms.
She would have noticed the loose button and handed you the threaded needle. She would have noticed the strained relationship, too, and reminded you not to wait too long to take the first step toward mending it.
“A stitch in time saves nine.”
In other words: Take care of it now. Tomorrow, it may take a lot more work.
What Mama said: Life lessons you didn’t know you needed—until Mama said them.
Enjoyed this article. Read more What Mama Said… by Susan Espiritu.
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