Mother's Day

Introduction:
My dilemma today is that there are too many things to talk about in this post. First of all, it is Mother’s Day and that deserves our full attention. Second of all, our recent study of 1 Peter fits perfectly with the current situation the global Church is facing. The answer is that I will post a Mother’s Day message today, and one on 1 Peter tomorrow, Monday, May 11.

Moms, this is your day off.  This is not a message on how to be a better mom. This is a message for the rest of us and how we are to honor you! It is staggering the amount of pressure our society places on mom’s these days. The expectations set by cultural influences tell us that mom must have a successful career, look like a model (even as soon as she gets out of bed), raise children who are geniuses and sports stars, be a master chef, keep the house looking like the show houses on those popular fix up shows, and all the while be a charming hostess and brilliant conversationalist…and that’s just to name a few. That is a ridiculously impossible task and for us who are sons and daughters and husbands, we need to get a grip on reality.

Let’s turn those kind of crazy expectations around for a moment and see what they would like for children. So, if you  are still living at home with your mother: you need to have a good paying job that will support anything beyond what your parents must supply which is simply basic food, shelter and clothing (they are not responsible to supply you with cell phones or other electronic gadgets, not required to give you money to go out with your friends, not required to buy you $100 jeans, shoes or other extravagant clothing), children would have to look well-groomed and proper at all times and behave like responsible adults, you would have to be a genius and a sports star, rave about every meal set before you (and it would be lean meat and veggies, not chicken nuggets and mac n cheese), you would keep your own room spotless at all times and none of your stuff would be boogerin’ up any other part of the house, and you would be constantly charming and brilliant, never defiant or even disagreeable. Yeah, how’s that working out?

Did you get a good laugh out of that husbands and baby daddies? You’re next! Let’s see, to compare with the standards set for moms in our culture, you need to be pulling down a bare minimum of six-figures, look like a stud (as defined by the ladies, not by you, and it includes being built like a pro weight-lifter with a glorious head of hair). You are directly involved in grooming your kids into geniuses and star athletes (and you might as well add in musical prodigies also), you take your turn as a master chef several days a week and have a delicious meal on the table ready for her when she comes home (and not just a slab of meet on the grill), your stuff in the bedroom, garage, shed and elsewhere on the property are always neatly stored and you clean every mess you ever make, you would be an amazing conversationalist on subjects that have nothing to do with sports, and you would perfectly understand her feelings and needs. Crash and burn, dude.

Such standards and descriptions work for no one because they are all equally impossible and if you try to hold someone to them, you will be miserable to live with and you’ll most likely ruin those relationships. I’m not saying to have no standard, but our expectations must be realistic and the only place to get a realistic and fair view of things is from the Word of God. Thus, today we take a moment to consider how God blesses us through our mothers and how He expects us to honor them.

Honor Your Mother

Let’s begin by looking at some ways God blessed you through your mother. Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “My son, hear the instruction of your father and do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck.” Why does mom do all the things she does? I mean she is the family counselor, nurse, fashion consultant, dietician, chauffeur, laundry service, entertainer, and these days she is often the provider and right nowin particular, she is the teacher. And by the way, she almost never gets any downtime. Why does she do all of that stuff? Is it because she is power hungry and just wants to control your life? Hardly. Is it because she loves running herself ragged for people who show little appreciation? Doubtful. It’s because she loves you, even when you act unlovable. Love is her primary motivation, it’s what keeps her going and makes her sacrifice her own wants and sometimes needs for the sake of her family.

Think about it, there is a special bond created in a mother for her baby from the moment she realizes she is with child. That bond continues throughout the mother’s life even if she outlives her child. There is an account in the Old Testament about two women coming before King Solomon, each saying a child belonged to her. It is found in 1 Kings 3:23-27 which happens to be part of our Bible reading this past week. Basically, Solomon sought the truth about who the child belonged to by commanding the child be divided in two with a sword. The woman who was not the mother said something like, “Go for it, neither of us will have the child!” The real mom said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” Solomon knew the real mom because she was willing to sacrifice in order to save him. So Solomon gave the child to his real mother. A mother’s love is not selfish. Now again, this is not a perfect world and even the best moms are sometimes a little selfish; we are all human. But a mom is characterized by doing what is right and for the good of her child. So cut her some slack and appreciation!

Interestingly enough, God also says that mom will be greatly blessed in bearing and raising her child. In 1 Timothy 2:15 the Spirit, through the Apostle Paul wrote, “a women will be saved in childbearing…” Now, some grossly misinterpret this verse in many ways. Mom is not “saved” like we always talk about in church – saved from sin; that only occurs by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The “saved” in 2:15 is a passive Greek verb with idea of “prosper or thrive.” So we can read this as, “a woman will thrive in childbearing,” Let me make an important side note here; God is the giver of life and every child is a gift from Him. God in His infinite wisdom may choose to not give a child, or to take a child Home early. In such cases, God will provide for the faithful woman. Psalm 113:9 says, “He (God) grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children.  Praise the Lord!” In motherhood, her truest delight is raising God-fearing children. Part of our blessing from God in our mom is her submitting to God’s design, in it she will thrive. But if we forsake her Godly teaching, we bring her much grief.

Which brings me to the next point. We are blessed by our mother because of her labor of love, her submission to God’s design, and also by her Godly wisdom. Again Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “My son, hear the instruction of your father and do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be a graceful ornament on your head and chains about your neck.” One great thing about young children is that they believe their parents are the best, the best at everything and they know everything too. Then they become teens and suddenly they are convinced their parents know nothing, right? It takes another 10-15 years for them to figure out that mom and dad are pretty wise after all. I don’t need to get all fancy and philosophical, God says to listen to your mom’s instructions and do not forsake her law. God commands you to listen to your mom! He says, her instruction is like a graceful ornament on your head – like a crown. Moreover that her law is like chains around your neck – not a noose, but a beautiful necklace. He also says, if you don’t listen and follow her instruction… Well, let’s put it this way; Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.”

Your mom is a blessing to you from God.  Granted, some mom’s are better than others. Certainly a godly mother is priceless, but moms bless us with love, submission to Him, and wisdom. You were given to your mom by God, and He commands you to honor her. “‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the Earth’” (Ephesians 6:2; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16).

Conclusion:

No matter who your mother is, the command is the same. Honor your mother. We live in a culture where everyone is a victim and that includes blaming parents for our own problems and sins. God does not follow our culture.  God will hold every person accountable for how we treat our mothers, no matter how godly or ungodly they were, no matter how caring or selfish they were, no matter how nurturing or neglectful they were. Honor your mother, be thankful as God made you to be her child and her to be your mother – hand picked for His greater purposes. To dishonor her, to bring shame to her, to be unthankful for her is to dishonor God, act shamefully before God, and to be unthankful to God.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark