Mother's Day. A day to celebrate indeed. All of us have a Mom. Some of us are one. What do you think about on Mother's Day?
I think, perhaps, that our thoughts on today vary with our life station.
If you are under 8 years old, I'll bet you think your Mom is the greatest Mom in the Universe, pretty much perfect. Around 10-12, maybe not so much. Her humanity begins to be revealed to your once-gullible eyes, even if you don't know what to call it, and, although you love her, you can sometimes be bothered by her. Warm up for ages 13-18. Wow. Moms can really irritate you during those years. They don't treat you like the adult you practically are; they "just don't get you"; and, truth be told, you look forward to being out from under their eagle-eye.
Be patient, though. By the time you turn 25, your Mom will have gotten a lot smarter. Her advice is a lot less "lame" and she winds up being an awful lot of help to you. I can only speak to the next 25 years, as my experience is limited to that span of time, but I'll promise you this -- there is no better friend in your life than your Mom. No one else would lay down her life for you without even thinking about it. She already has and she still does...continuously. No one else knows so well your imperfections and loves you just the same. No one else has the bond to you that cannot be cut by even death.
Maybe your relationship with your Mom is strained. Maybe she made a lot of mistakes and really bad decisions in life. Just the thought of that causes tears to well up in me. I cannot imagine going through life....or a day....without the unwavering support of my Mom. (and Dad, for that matter!) But if that's where you are, I want to encourage you to do a couple of things. In fact, these are good ideas regardless of the state of your relationship with her! If you are a Christ-follower, He requires that you honor her. As a child, you are called to obey her but forever you are to honor her.
Deuteronomy 5:16 -" Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
Wow. God doesn't always accompany a commandment with a promise but He does here. Showing honor to our parents has a direct link to life going well for us. Now we are really interested in how to obey this command!
What does it look like, to "honor" your Mother?
For one thing, don't hate her. That's what Proverbs 23:22 says - "Do not despise your mother when she is old" . Over time, chances are good that your Mom is going to do some things to hurt you or disappoint you, and maybe even make you hate her. But don't. Even if she "deserves" it. She needs to have your forgiveness...and you need to give it. For your own mental health. (And, side note - now that I'm a Mom of 24+ years, I realize how much grace I need from my kids. When you have had a few years on the "Mom side" of the "parenting equation", you may realize that most Moms are truly trying to do the best they can. This is a really hard job and I now wish I had given more grace to my own Mom lots of times. Especially when I was 13-18 years old!!)
Another thing that honor looks like is found in Proverbs 1:8 - "do not forsake your mother's teaching." All those lectures, remember? Probably had some pearls of wisdom in them and we would all do well to heed them. At the very least, do not sigh or roll your eyes or disrespect her counsel. If God is letting you hear her lectures, most likely He has something in mind for you to hear.
Third, be someone she can be happy about. Proverbs 23:25 says "let her rejoice who gave birth to you". Don't live in such a way that your life brings her sorrow. Honor her by living an honorable life yourself. Not just today but lots and lots of times, tell her thank you. Celebrate her. Spend time with her. And, if you have kids yourself, train them to honor your Mom. It will come back to reward you some day....just sayin......
Gonna close with some thoughts for those whose Mother's Days are not full of joy. Some of you have lost your Mom. This day accentuates a permanent hole in your heart. One dear friend tells me that she often thinks "Who prays for me, now that my Mom isn't here to do that?" Two answers - I do and she still does. I believe with all my heart that our loved ones who are in Heaven still pray for us -- praying is just talking to Jesus and they are closer than ever to Him, now that they aren't on Earth!!!! But I know that void must always ache. I am sorry for your hurt. I pray for you and I look forward to the reunions of Eternity. And I will share my own Mom if you need her. She's the best.
Some of you aren't Mothers. But so desperately long to be able to celebrate today as one. Several dear women come to my mind as I type this. And I want you to know I pray for you. I love you and I continually ask the Lord to grant you the blessing of this highest of all life's callings. Many, many times, I do not understand His plan. Sometimes it is so hard and I hurt for you and with you. We will trust Him together.
And for all of us women, Mothers and Mothers-to-be and everyone else - we are each created to bear the image of God. " God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). It takes both male and female to manifest the glory of God. So shine forth His glory with your life. Don't waste your time on things that do not last, things which do not show forth His glory - " Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30)
Happy Mother's Day to all.
And, to my own Mom, if by some unlikely event, you decide to connect to the internet and read this blog, I love you. God gave me the absolute best when He made me yours. You are my hero, my dearest friend, my biggest fan, and my role model. Happy Mother's Day forever.
I think, perhaps, that our thoughts on today vary with our life station.
If you are under 8 years old, I'll bet you think your Mom is the greatest Mom in the Universe, pretty much perfect. Around 10-12, maybe not so much. Her humanity begins to be revealed to your once-gullible eyes, even if you don't know what to call it, and, although you love her, you can sometimes be bothered by her. Warm up for ages 13-18. Wow. Moms can really irritate you during those years. They don't treat you like the adult you practically are; they "just don't get you"; and, truth be told, you look forward to being out from under their eagle-eye.
Be patient, though. By the time you turn 25, your Mom will have gotten a lot smarter. Her advice is a lot less "lame" and she winds up being an awful lot of help to you. I can only speak to the next 25 years, as my experience is limited to that span of time, but I'll promise you this -- there is no better friend in your life than your Mom. No one else would lay down her life for you without even thinking about it. She already has and she still does...continuously. No one else knows so well your imperfections and loves you just the same. No one else has the bond to you that cannot be cut by even death.
Maybe your relationship with your Mom is strained. Maybe she made a lot of mistakes and really bad decisions in life. Just the thought of that causes tears to well up in me. I cannot imagine going through life....or a day....without the unwavering support of my Mom. (and Dad, for that matter!) But if that's where you are, I want to encourage you to do a couple of things. In fact, these are good ideas regardless of the state of your relationship with her! If you are a Christ-follower, He requires that you honor her. As a child, you are called to obey her but forever you are to honor her.
Deuteronomy 5:16 -" Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
Wow. God doesn't always accompany a commandment with a promise but He does here. Showing honor to our parents has a direct link to life going well for us. Now we are really interested in how to obey this command!
What does it look like, to "honor" your Mother?
For one thing, don't hate her. That's what Proverbs 23:22 says - "Do not despise your mother when she is old" . Over time, chances are good that your Mom is going to do some things to hurt you or disappoint you, and maybe even make you hate her. But don't. Even if she "deserves" it. She needs to have your forgiveness...and you need to give it. For your own mental health. (And, side note - now that I'm a Mom of 24+ years, I realize how much grace I need from my kids. When you have had a few years on the "Mom side" of the "parenting equation", you may realize that most Moms are truly trying to do the best they can. This is a really hard job and I now wish I had given more grace to my own Mom lots of times. Especially when I was 13-18 years old!!)
Third, be someone she can be happy about. Proverbs 23:25 says "let her rejoice who gave birth to you". Don't live in such a way that your life brings her sorrow. Honor her by living an honorable life yourself. Not just today but lots and lots of times, tell her thank you. Celebrate her. Spend time with her. And, if you have kids yourself, train them to honor your Mom. It will come back to reward you some day....just sayin......
Gonna close with some thoughts for those whose Mother's Days are not full of joy. Some of you have lost your Mom. This day accentuates a permanent hole in your heart. One dear friend tells me that she often thinks "Who prays for me, now that my Mom isn't here to do that?" Two answers - I do and she still does. I believe with all my heart that our loved ones who are in Heaven still pray for us -- praying is just talking to Jesus and they are closer than ever to Him, now that they aren't on Earth!!!! But I know that void must always ache. I am sorry for your hurt. I pray for you and I look forward to the reunions of Eternity. And I will share my own Mom if you need her. She's the best.
Some of you aren't Mothers. But so desperately long to be able to celebrate today as one. Several dear women come to my mind as I type this. And I want you to know I pray for you. I love you and I continually ask the Lord to grant you the blessing of this highest of all life's callings. Many, many times, I do not understand His plan. Sometimes it is so hard and I hurt for you and with you. We will trust Him together.
And for all of us women, Mothers and Mothers-to-be and everyone else - we are each created to bear the image of God. " God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). It takes both male and female to manifest the glory of God. So shine forth His glory with your life. Don't waste your time on things that do not last, things which do not show forth His glory - " Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30)
Happy Mother's Day to all.
And, to my own Mom, if by some unlikely event, you decide to connect to the internet and read this blog, I love you. God gave me the absolute best when He made me yours. You are my hero, my dearest friend, my biggest fan, and my role model. Happy Mother's Day forever.