"It's not the best"

There are a few sayings my mom used to say to me and my brothers all the time when i was a little kid. And one sticks out to me more than all the rest. This thought has shaped how i think. It creeps back in my mind and convicts me. I have no doubt that i will remember this saying on my death bad, even if i forget who my mom is.

If we asked her why we couldn't have that cereal, or watch that t.v. show, or own that item, or eat that candy, she would tell us, "it's not the best." If the youthgroup at my church was participating in a certain event that my parents didn't want us to go to, my mom would say, "It's not 'what's wrong with it?', but its just not the best."

My mom always wanted the best for us. And when someone like John Piper agrees, it's like
honey on my lips.

In his book Don't Waste Your Life, Piper talks about the right questions and the wrong ones:

People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong question about behavior. They ask, What's wrong with it? What's wrong with this movie? Or this music? Or this game? Or these companions? Or this way of relaxing? Or this investment? Or this restaurant? Or shopping at this store? What wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin? This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God. It simply results in a list of don'ts. If feeds the avoidance ethic.
The better questions to ask about possible behaviors is: How will this help me treasure Christ more? How will it help me show that i do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive, not negative. How can I portray God as glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?

I think this is what my mom was getting at, only not in so many words.

Thanks mom!