Mothers, A Gift From God

Introduction

Today we are going to take a one Sunday break from our study in the book of 2 Samuel, because today we are going to celebrate Mothers.

Today, in our country, has been set aside to celebrate mothers. That got me to thinking things. For example, it got me to asking the question: When did Mother’s Day begin.

The Origins

The origins of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century.

Ann Reeves Jarvis

In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs" to teach local women how to properly care for their children.

These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Julia Ward Howe

Another precursor to Mother’s Day came from the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.

Juliet Calhoun Blakely

Another early Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s.

Mary Towles Sasseens & Frank Hering

This duo also worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some have even called Hering “the father of Mothers’ Day.”

Anna Jarvis Turns Mother's Day Into a National Holiday

But the official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.

By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

But mother have always had a prominent place in God’s Word. In fact, several months ago we saw one of my favorite Biblical mothers when we began studying the book of 1 Samuel.

Hannah

You may remember the story. Hannah had no children, while her husband’s other wife had children. Peninnah, that other wife, taunted Hannah about being childless.

Hannah’s Prayer

So one year when the family went up to Shiloh for the annual sacrifice and celebration Hannah was distraught and poured out her heart to the Lord!

She was so distraught that Eli, the High Priest thought she was drunk, but she tells him that she’s not been drinking but deeply troubled.

Any way, when they went went home Hannah’s prayer is answered and she had a son—Samuel.

Hannah Gives Her Son to Serve

She tells her husband, that she is going to give the boy to the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:22 NIV

Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”

Hannah Prayed For Her Child to Serve

1 Samuel 1:27 NIV

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.

Hannah Give Her Child to Serve

In 1 Samuel 1:28 Hannah tells Eli:

1 Samuel 1:28 NIV

So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah Rejoiced In Her Child’s Service

1 Samuel 2:1–2 NIV

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Because of Hannah’s prayer and her faithful dedication Samuel grew up to be the last great Judge of Israel!

Eunice

Eunice was the mother of Timothy. Together with his great grandmother Louis, these two women laid a foundation of service in the young protege of Paul.

Eunice Laid a Foundation of Service in Timothy

2 Timothy 1:5 NIV

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

The Work Accomplished By Timothy

1 Timothy 1:3–4 NIV

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

The Value of Timothy to Paul

2 Timothy 4:9–10 NIV

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

All of this happened because a mother poured into her son! And because of the faithfulness of a mother and grandmother, a young man became valuable to the Apostle Paul and helped change the known world for Jesus.

Personal Story

Throughout my life I have been blessed to have three mothers in my life.

My Mom

I was blessed to be born into a home where God was loved and known. But it was more than that because it was a house that was committed to serving the Lord. For the vast majority of my life, my parents served the Lord in vocational ministry.

I was blessed with a godly example of a mom. I saw her up early in the morning spending time with the Lord, working hard to meet the needs of our family. She taught me the importance of spending time with the Lord every dad, and I am so thankful for her life and all that she taught me.

My Mother-in-law

I was blessed to have another “mother” in my life. Her name was Jan. She was the mother of my wife. You know, they say when you marry someone you marry their family, and I believe that is true. I was blessed to get a mom in the deal.

I am truly thankful for all that I learned from my mother-in-law. She continued to teach me to be organized, and diligent in my work for the Lord. She believe whatever you did for the Lord Jesus ought to be done to the BEST of your ability.

I’m also thankful because Jan taught my wife to love the Lord, to be committed to Jesus and to devote her life to serving Him no matter what.

My Wife

The third “mom” that I was introduced to was the mother of my boys—that’s right my wife, Deann. I’ll probably get in trouble for this one, but I’m going there any way!

When we had children, I was clueless. Some might say I still am. But I was always amazed at how Deann could care for the boys. She was a master of looking for the teachable moments where she could lovingly correct, teach, or even discipline.

I also learned exactly how tough my wife really was! Even as teenagers, she would go toe-to-toe with them, and often shock them with her surprising responses.

She taught our boys to love the Lord Jesus, to love their wives, and she showed them what a godly parent looks like.

And she taught me what it means to be a dad—often correcting my inept parenting skills.

So What?

Today we celebrate Mothers. We don’t worship them, but we celebrate them, and that is wonderful. Whether you have younger children in your home, or your children are grown and gone and you are blessed with grandchildren or great grandchildren, a mother’s duty is still the same.

Proverbs 22:6 has a lot to say to us. There we read:

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Honestly, I don’t like the way this is written. In the NET we read:

Proverbs 22:6 NET

Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Now the “train” means that it is a on going commitment to pass onto our offspring the moral foundation for righteousness.

The phrase “the way that he should go” could mean we train them according to their natural bent. While this is true, I don’t think that this is what the author is trying to tell us. In the book of Proverbs there are only two paths! There is the path of evil, and there is the path of righteousness. Evil comes naturally and doesn’t need any training. Righteousness, on the other hand, takes a lot of training. It takes hard work!

Finally, there’s the idea that when the person is old, they won’t turn away from their upbringing. Now this is how things “normally” work, but it is NOT a promise. And the result does not undo the expectations.

So Mothers, Grandmothers, and even Great Grandmothers need to take this verse to heart! Everyone of us need to take this verse to heart—and we need to train our next generation to follow the path of righteousness. It is not easy, it takes work and it takes persistence. But we can change the world—one person at a time.