Truths About Motherhood
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It was a woman named Anna M. Jarvis who first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for "public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country."
Mother’s Day is a day we honor all Moms. It’s a day to support Single Moms, encourage Adoptive Moms, be grateful for Foster Moms and comfort Moms who have lost a child. Not all Mothers travel the same road, but they are each loved by God and loved by those whose lives they have touched. We here at The Ridge want to honor you, with a single flower symbolically saying to you Thank you and we Love you.
SERMON MESSAGE
Now this is not your usual Mother’s Day text so please pay close attention:
Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”
Thus they spoke before the king.
And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
QUITE A CLASSIC STORY!
But do you know what one of the problems is with classic Bible stories? We often learn the primary lesson and fail to see the rest of the story.
The thing is, this incident is used to show that God had given Solomon the wisdom he had requested as king. It proves that wisdom indeed does come from God.
However there are still other truths to this story we can learn today. The story provides TRUTHS ABOUT MOTHERHOOD.
The first TRUTH ABOUT MOTHERHOOD from this story:
1. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT MOTHER.
I do not say this to tare moms down but instead shine the truth on the fact that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. And moms are no different. We need to cut them some slack and stop being so hard on them and mom’s stop being so hard on yourself.
The two mothers in this story were prostitutes! Their babies were evidently conceived under sinful circumstances. That grabs you! It makes you sit up in your church pew and take notice!
Why did Solomon, king over God’s chosen people, even take the time to worry with two prostitutes? These women, and the sinful men who paid for their services, were living out of God’s will.
SOLOMON WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THESE TWO WOMEN BECAUSE GOD WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THEM!
I don’t have to convince you that the church should stand for moral purity. But the church should also stand for forgiveness and restoration!
These women were not living up to God’s ideals - yet He still loved them! If any of us had to wait for God to love us based on our performance we would all be waiting for a life time!
No, there is no such thing as a perfect mother, just like there aren’t any perfect ones among the rest of us. And if there’s anyone in whom we should be willing to overlook faults, it should be our mother. Why? Because they’ve overlooked so many of our faults.
We need to lighten up on mom a little, and moms need to lighten up on themselves a little. Fo all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
Here’s another TRUTH ABOUT MOTHERHOOD from the story:
2. GOD HAS ANSWERS FOR A MOTHER’S PROBLEMS.
Don’t look for stress-free motherhood, it doesn’t exist. From the pains of giving birth, to the empty nest, to grandchildren and beyond, motherhood is stressful.
Once again, this is not mentioned to discourage anyone. There is good news! God is willing and able to assist moms in the problems they encounter.
God didn’t give Solomon wisdom so folks would stand around the palace and say "ooh" and "ahh". He gave His wisdom for a purpose. God not only loved those two prositute mothers, He also loved the little baby in this story. God dispatched His wisdom to Solomon to save the child.
He has wisdom to spare for parenting responsibilities today. He can guide and provide for mothers in all kinds of life situations - single moms, adoptive moms, step-moms, moms with special situations, you name it!
Kids today have special needs. That’s okay. God has the wisdom to give you for the task. He can teach you what to do and what to say in every situation.
Like the mom who was tucking her small boy into bed one summer night during a violent thunder storm. She was just about to turn out the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?"
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can’t, Dear," she said, "I have to sleep with your daddy."
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."
Here’s the third and final TRUTH ABOUT MOTHERHOOD from this story:
3. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A MOTHER’S LOVE!
The real mother in this story would rather see another woman raise her child than see it split in two.
You have to be willing to give up some things to be a good mother.
Personal sacrifice is a pivotal part of motherhood. It begins by sacrificing their own bodies by carrying the child around in their womb for nine months. No mother’s child ought to get over that sacrifice!
Our mothers fed us, nourished and protected us with their own bodies before we even saw the light of day. I don’t know anyone else who loves me enough to carry me around for nine months. Other than my wife who has carried me around for almost 29 years.
But a mother’s sacrifice doesn’t end there. They keep on giving. They give up sleep for the midnight feedings. They give up personal goals to help their children achieve their goals.
Ask yourself how many times you got a new outfit and mom wore the same old clothes, or how many times she gave you the last helping at supper.
We honor moms for all the giving they do. It is truly a reflection of our Giving, Loving, and Amazing God. They remind us of God who is sacrificial and giving. He gave His only Son for a world of wayward children.
That kind of love should not go unnoticed and unappreciated. Respond to moms with great love and appreciation. And respond to the God who created motherhood the same way.