A Godly Mother
Notes
Transcript
A man used to lecture on child rearing. He had been a professor for a long time and he had lectured through his single years and through his parenting years. Although, his lectures evolved over the years. When he was single, he started off calling his lectures, “The Ten Commandments for Parenting,” Then after his first child, he had to change the title to, “The Ten Hints,” for Parenting. After the second child, he decided to call his lectures, “The Ten Suggestions,” for Parenting. When he had his third child, He stopped lecturing. lol
A boy was riding his bike around the block. Around and around he went, crying as he pedaled. A policeman saw the boy riding and crying and said, “Son where are going?” The boy replied, “I’m running away from home!” The policeman looked around the street, and said to the boy, “Son, you haven’t even crossed the street yet. The boy lowered his head, and and said, “I know, my mom said never to cross the street without her!” lol
In my youth, I have been around some real mean dudes.
My older brother Walter at the age of 15 had a gun put to his head and threatened with death if he came back to school the next day.
Several of my friends, were gunned down in broad daylight before I was 18.
We “WERE” for all intents and purposes, products of our environment.
Both my brother and I, WERE no doubt poster children of the environment.
Its is interesting to me that only in my later years did those experiences of my youth, come back to haunt me,
with the “Anxiety,” or Fear that one would expect to accompany this kin of upbringing.
It’s almost as if, my mind was playing catch-up with my past.
I mean, sometimes I would have nightmares involving a episode in my past, and wake up anxious and disturbed.
Where were these feelings of fear or caution back then?
It was then that I should have been more afraid of the dangers, not now, that I am old enough to reflect upon them but I digress.
Old enough?
Both me and my older brother are now over 50 years old.
Not long ago, as we were sitting around as brothers do reflecting on some of the events and some of the people we knew,
we sat back in awe at times that we both made it to this age.
I even asked him once, “how is it that we survived all of what had happened to us?”
His answered stayed with me and is the focus of todays message.
Without missing a beat, as if it was planned he said,
“Because we had a mother who prayed a lot for us.”
I sat silent and let that thought soak into my mind.
And you know what?
I am convinced that he was absolutely correct!
That must be it, and boy, did we ever keep her busy in prayer!
I am blessed beyond measure to still have my mother with me today.
She is my Spiritual muse.
She is human, and she has made her share of mistakes.
As well as everyone in here has done and still do, but to me, she is still and always my mother.
Me, my 4 Brothers & 1 Sister are truly blessed to have had Such a woman to call mom.
Its unfortunate that some didn’t have a mom like ours.
Some people would have much rather they didn’t have a mother than to have the one they have,
let alone have a praying mother.
That is unfortunate & my heart goes out to you if you are one of them.
But, today is a day we honor our mothers.
Today is Mother’s day.
Now, I am not sure if those that elected this day chose to include all moms, or just the good ones.
But I want to use this opportunity to tell you a little bit about how God sees the role of “Honoring thy Mother”
In the Bible we are told explicitly to Honor thy Mother and Father
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
This command is reiterated in
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Paul adds the fact that this is the first commandment that comes with a promise.
If you do this, then this will happen.
If you Honor your father and Mother, “It will be well with you and you will long on the earth.”
Rebellious children were to be stoned and killed so, we can see that God takes the issue of honoring the parent very seriously.
So much so, that He felt it necessary to command it.
To mention it in His commandments for a “God-following” lifestyle and He also added an incentive for doing so.
He doesn’t say, “Do not kill and you will long on the earth” etc.
Granted, this commandment is easy for us who were blessed With nurturing, praying mothers.
It is extremely difficult for those who suffered under an awful one.
So, let me be clear, this commandment is not to justify her or to erase all of the offenses she may have caused.
But rather, it is honoring the “Place she holds” in God’s plan for your life.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Thats right!
You see, she will have to answer for her place in your life.
And you will have to answer for how you honored her place.
Honoring the Father and Mother is honoring the triune nature of the Trinity, The Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, The Father, Mother, Child, etc.
This is what you are to honor.
This is not dealing with her, it’s dealing with your obedience to the Word.
The Lord, is only concerned with Your walk with the Lord
Besides, People say that children don’t come with individual instruction manuals.
Agh, But, there is a general instruction manual, its called The Bible.
But, Mothers we can easily forget, are human too, and they make mistakes.
Sometimes, they make real big ones.
Even the best ones.
So, If you are a mother, or expecting to be a mother someday,
Don’t fret over not being the best mother
Don’t worry, because in your child’s eyes, you’ve already won the best mother of the year award to that child.
Even if you don’t get it right all or most of the time, you are always going to win best mother in their hearts.
No matter what you do.
But in whatever you do, be a Godly Mother, be a praying Mother,
Most importantly remember that you were chosen by the hand of God to be called Mom to those children.
That is an awesome responsibility, especially if you’re children are anything like Me and my older brother.
I bring this point of view up today, because as the years progress,
I have noticed an increase in counseling of women that have suffered under a terrible, or neglectful mother.
The tendency both men and women have is to hold onto the resentment into adulthood
Suffering under the weight of this un-forgiveness, for years,
Making it difficult to function as an adult, or simply carrying bitterness with them into adulthood,
It does seem to this preacher, that motherhood is not something to take for granted.
The idea of motherhood must be nurtured into young girls all of their lives.
But today, we have at every corner of society, an influence desperately trying convince young ladies that having babies will ruin their lives.
When in fact the opposite is true.
I can’t think of another way to express the love God has for us, until you wrap your heart around your little ones.
This was God’s plan from the beginning, when He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply.
Lastly on that point,
Isn’t it interesting, that a young lady can make a choice for her own body, You know, “My body, My choice,” they say.
And in these times we are living in, many, nay, let me say it this way, “Millions” ever year are deciding to make a choice to end their motherhood instead of accepting it.
Now thats the mother,
But the child doesn’t have a choice in loving his /her mother.
Isn’t that strange?
A mom can seem to turn off the switch of love towards their child, but the child can’t turn off their switch of love for their mother.
Many with emotional problems, depression, anxiety etc, prove this by the increase in the need for psychological counselors.
(https://www.julietteshouse.org/blog/the-role-of-mothers-in-child-development#:~:text=When%20a%20mother%20or%20primary,are%20critical%20for%20cognitive%20development.)
I speak from authority in the name of Jesus, and from personal experience.
You see, back in 1973 my mother’s life was in chaos.
In the middle of all of the confusion, chaos, and just life,
My mother was informed that on top of all that the was facing at that point in her life,
She had met a man, and sometime time, she was informed that she was going to be a mother again.
She had a choice to make.
From the story she tells me, she originally decided their was too much going on in her life and had decided to end the pregnancy.
When she arrived at the clinic to facilitate this ending of pregnancy, she was terribly unsettled in her soul.
But she was going to go through with it anyway, there was too much chaos to deal with and in no way would a surprise baby be a positive addition in the middle of her life.
But, when her name was finally called and it was her turn to end a pregnancy,
She couldn’t go through with it.
She turned and ran out of their and decided to keep the baby, even through the chaos.
When I heard that story, I was so glad to hear that the decided to keep that baby,
Because that baby was me!
So, here I am 51 years later, defending the chance of the baby to love their mothers.
Don’t again, fret over not being the best mother to your child
Don’t worry, because in your child’s eyes, you’ve already won the best mother of the year award to that child.
Even if you don’t get it right all or most of the time, you are always going to win best mother in their hearts.
No matter what you do.
But in whatever you do, be a Godly Mother, be a praying Mother,
I recently heard a mother commented on the teaching of the Book of Revelation, and all that of the calamity that is expected to unfold.
Out of fear that her children weren’t ready, she said she almost wishes she will get left behind so she can be here to help her kids in the coming tribulation
Wow!
Now that is a mother’s love for her children.
Willing to die, for her children.
Proverbs 31:25–31 (CSB)
25 Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she can laugh at the time to come.
26 Her mouth speaks wisdom,
and loving instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the activities of her household
and is never idle.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women have done noble deeds,
but you surpass them all!”
30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
31 Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
And to that end, we celebrate you today!
And the memory of those mothers who are already in heaven.
We thank you for all of your hard work, all of your tears, all of your love, all of your prayers.
But most of all, because you are Mom!
Happy mothers day.
May God richly bless you with long, healthy, fruitful lives.
