IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Genesis 18:14 With grateful acknowledgement of these sources of direction and inspiration: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God; Previously preached message by Rich Bersett (5-14-00); James Dobson, Motherhood: It Helps if You Smile; Jean Fleming, A Woman of Influence; Brenda Hunter, Where Have All the Mothers Gone?; Billy Graham, The Influence of a Christian Mother; Allison Pearson, I Don’t Know How She Does It May 8, 2005 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] You Know You're a Mom When... • You automatically double-knot everything you tie. • You use your own saliva to clean your child’s face. • You hear a baby cry in the grocery store, and you start to gently sway back and forth, back and forth. • You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you. • You actually start to like the smell of strained carrots mixed with applesauce. • You weep through the scene in Dumbo when his mom is taken away, not to mention what Bambi does to you. • You mastered the art of placing large quantities of pancakes, eggs and sausage on a plate without anything touching. • You tenaciously cling to the high moral ground and refuse to buy your children toy weapons, and your four-year-old chews his toast into the shape of a pistol • You count the sprinkles on each kid’s cupcake to make sure they’re equal. • You are out for a nice romantic meal with your husband, enjoying some real adult conversation, when suddenly you realize that you've reached over and started to cut up his steak! Text - Genesis 18:1-14 Genesis 18 might be a somewhat unlikely Mother's Day text, but I believe there is a word from the Lord for us particularly from verse 14 - "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" A ninety-year old woman is interrupted in the middle of dishes by her 99-year old husband who asks her to prepare a meal for three sudden visitors-and not just coffee and sandwiches! He's asking for fresh-baked bread, he's got the hired help slaughtering one of the yearling calves and he's already got appetizers on the table for these guests! "Who are they?" she wonders. So while the meal is cooking she positions herself right by the front door of the tent. She peeks around the corner of the tent flap and sees she is just inches from the back of one of the visitors. Then she hears the man ask, "Where is your wife Sarah?" Quickly she shifts back from the doorway. "How did he know my name? Any old friends would only know me by Sarai-it had only been a couple weeks since God told Abram his new name would be Abraham and hers would be Sarah ("Princess!" - she liked her new name!). Abraham answered the question, "She's in the tent there." "Oh, I hope they don't ask me to come out-I'm a mess!" Then the strong voice of the man who was seated close to the tent door said the words that surprised her: "I 'm coming back through this area in a year; by that time your wife Sarah will have a son." You'd have thought he slapped her! What a shock! Now, the Lord had promised them a child a long time ago-in fact, he said they would have millions of descendants. But that was years earlier. Now she was 99 years old! Well, she couldn't help herself-it was so funny! She clapped her hands to her mouth but it was too late. The laughter had slipped out, and the guests surely heard her. It's happened to you, hasn't it? Something strikes you funny in an otherwise serious moment-in the middle of prayer at the dinner table; at a very quiet time in the movie theater; in the middle of the sermon! And you just can't. help yourself. You try to hold it in; your eyes are watering; your body is heaving with pent up laughter; and you just can't shake the funny thought. At that point, all the reasons you shouldn't laugh out loud become the funniest ideas in the world. That's where Sarah was. While trying to stifle the giggles, she slips off to the far side of the tent. On the way she hears the words that turn her hilarity to sobriety. "Why did Sarah laugh?" If these guys were serious and their prophecy was true, she might be in big trouble now. So she spoke through the tent window and said, "I didn't laugh! I, uh, sneezed-that's all!" But the guest knew better, and he said, "Yes, you did laugh!" And, sure enough, within weeks Senior Sarah found herself pregnant, and nine months later she delivered the little boy the Lord said to name "Isaac" (he laughs). In his remonstration of the laughing Sarah, the angel of the Lord (indeed, most scholars believe it is the Lord incarnate) said these words, Is anything too hard for the Lord? I would ask this question of you this morning. It is so terribly natural for us to lower our expectations of the Lord, isn't it? We get to moving along comfortably in our hum-drum, make-a-living existence, attending church, believing in God, sharing our faith here and there, dutifully praying for the needs shared in cell group. Then, all of a sudden-WHAM! Here comes God with a miracle. And most of us are startled and a little embarrassed. "Well, yes we prayed for Isabella to survive her birth at 25 weeks gestation, but who would have expected her to do this well?" "Sure, we prayed that Scott Williams’ wife would give her life to Christ, but did we ever think she would honestly do it? Of course we prayed for Dennis to be healed of his fourth aneurysm, but did we really believe completely it would happen? What might Genesis 18:14 be saying to us today about the nature of God and His intimate involvement in our lives and ministry today? That is why we study this Book, isn't it? To know Him and His ways better, right? To those who are facing what seems to be overwhelming circumstances this morning—God is able! To those with wounds that run so deep into your life that you think it's impossible to overcome them; to those who think about accomplishing the dream they have from the Lord and are saying, "No way!"; To those living in a marriage that seems hopeless-God sent his messenger to your tent today to ask you, face to face, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Sarah's laughter reminds us that we are too quick to snicker and too slow to trust. We often throw up our hands in defeat when we should be putting them together in prayer. We are prone to focus on our lack of strength instead of His sufficient strength. Of course we can't do it,-but He can! Abraham and Sarah were reminded that the God who spoke to them is the God who made them-the Lord God Omnipotent. He is the one who is all-powerful. He takes those who are dead and makes them live. He takes the sick and heals them. He takes broken relationships and lives and puts them back together. Sarah learned that there is nothing too hard for the Lord, and, I would add, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE Does this mean that every problem will go away? Or that we will have everything go just the way we wasn't them to? Or that we will somehow superhumanly overcome each handicap we struggle with? No. Does it mean that any 90-year old woman could have a baby this year? No. But it does mean that if God promised you a baby, HE CAN DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE with or without a menstrual cycle. Psalm 62:11-12 - "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God are powerful and that you, O Lord, are loving." This is a word to all of us today, but I want to speak a word or two in closing to the moms among us. Be encouraged that with God it is never too late. Consider Sarah—the Bible leads us to believe she was a woman of faith, but in that brief encounter, just 20 minute time frame, she disbelieved, she laughed and she lied. Yet, do you remember what God’s feelings about her were? He changed her name from Sarai (contentious one) to Sarah – Princess. There are five categories under the heading "mother" that I want to at least mention. 1. "Yet-to-be" moms. Whether you are currently expectant, expecting to be expectant or just dreaming about the day to come when you will be a mom, start now to be the best mother you can be. Just as it is never too late, it is never too early to develop the godly character traits that mark a woman of God and prepare her to be a good mom: patience, goodness, love and tenderness. Someone asked noted child educational psychologist, Piaget, how early they should begin to teach their child. He answered, "20 years before they're born." 2. Mothers of Babies & Toddlers. This is the bedraggled group, the harried and the worn out. What word can be offered to these soldiers of parenthood who are in the battlefield of teaching, disciplining, chasing, loving, scolding, surviving? Don't forget God! When you are totally beleaguered and feel you are unable to go on, remember the Lord. He is your strength. God will strengthen and keep you. It is He who has called you to the role of mothering these little ones, and He will keep you. Turn to Him for help-even if it’s only collapsing on the bed and crying out to him in desperation. If you feel you've failed God and your children, don't worry-it's never too late to start new and fresh in His strength. 3. Mothers of elementary age children and pre-adolescents. What words describe this group: tired, proud, worried, cab-driver, laundry queen, warden? You are involved in a most demanding work-both working moms and (hey-you're all working moms!) I want to encourage you by reminding you of the awesomely important role you have. Consider the words of author Jean Fleming: “I enjoy the challenge. The task of mothering can be as broad as I make it. Consider the endless varieties of jobs a mother may do: that of teacher, nurse, dietician, psychologist, chauffeur, trainer, disciplinarian, seamstress, baseball coach, interior decorator. The aspect that excites me most is the knowledge that I am making a permanent difference in my children's lives. I am a woman of influence. I impart values, stimulate creativity, develop compassion, modify weaknesses and nurture strengths. When I read my child a story I am doing far more that entertaining him. I am expanding his world with language, words, thoughts and imagination. When I sit beside my child's bed at night to talk and pray, I am doing far more than cultivating a bedtime ritual. I'm tuning in to what he is thinking, catching up on his day, and listening for fears, hopes and questions. This personal time gives me an opportunity to point him to Jesus Christ and his relevance to the situations my child faces." If you feel as though you are coming up way short in the "I'm a good mommy" department, be assured, every mother does. And so you're not perfect? Just remember, it's not too late to pick up and start new. Kids are amazingly resilient to our mistakes. 4. Mothers of teens. What can I say? These are the frazzled stewards of walking time bombs-those who are hurt by the thoughtless comments of children-come-adults they used to cuddle, change, wipe their noses, push their swings and throw their baseballs. Now they don't seem to get a hearing. This is a time in life when it is easy to get discouraged and sarcastic. May I encourage you, before you say to your teen, "Someday you'll have teenagers, and I hope they..." REMEMBER: they will have teenagers someday, and those teenagers will be your grandchildren, not far from having their own children-your great-grandchildren. Think now-how will you want them to parent your grandchildren? Draw your strength and patience from the Lord and be an example parent to them while you can. Even though your teens seem never to notice, they do. Pray, pray hard. If you feel your relationship with your teen is so strained it may never be right again, know this: every parent of every teen who ever lived has felt the same way, and it's never too late to start making it better. 5. Empty nest mothers. There's a aching loneliness that sets in when there are no more bottles to warm, noses to wipe, shoes to tie, and you're back to only two plates on the table (or worse, one). This is a season of reflection, and parents, especially moms, are prone to feel guilty about all they didn't do for their kids. I would remind you, as well, it's never too late. Give this burden over to the Lord, ask His forgiveness and move on to the new and exciting adult relationships you can now have with your children Elisa Morgan, president of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International, writes: I'm probably the least likely person to head a mothering organization. I grew up in a broken home. My parents were divorced when I was 5. My older sister, younger brother, and I were raised by my alcoholic mother. While my mother meant well-truly she did-most of my memories are of my mothering her rather than her mothering me. Alcohol altered her love, turning it into something that wasn't love. I remember her weaving down the hall of our ranch home in Houston, Texas, glass of scotch in hand. She would wake me at 2 a.m. just to make sure I was asleep. I would wake her at 7 a.m. to try to get her off to work. Sure, there were good times like Christmas and birthdays when she went all out and celebrated us as children. But even those days ended with the warped glow of alcohol. What she did right was lost in what she did wrong. Ten years ago, when I was asked to consider leading MOPS International, a vital ministry that nurtures mothers, I went straight to my knees-and then to the therapist's office. How could God use me-who had never been mothered-to nurture other mothers? The answer came as I gazed into the eyes of other moms around me and saw their needs mirroring my own. God seemed to take my deficits and make them my offering-"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Citation: Elisa Morgan, Christian Parenting Today (May/June 1999), p. 64 Let them know you love them; apologize to them if you need to. Give them encouragement in their roles as parents. They still need you. This is a great season in your life to make up for lost time. Remember, for the last eighteen years you've been saying, "I'd love to volunteer if I had the time." "One of these days I'm going to get back to reading my Bible and spending more quality time with the Lord." Concluding two suggestions: 1. Write out on a card, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" and another one: "It's never too late" Hang them in a prominent place for tomorrow, when everyone stops pampering you because it's 365 days until mother's day strikes again, and it's back to the routine. 2. Get out the baby pictures and remember things together. Reminisce, and remember the joy of times past. Rejoice in the truth that will come to you-that you didn't face anything in the past that the Lord was not faithful to bring you through. And He can do it again tomorrow! Trust the Lord to get the impossible done. It’s never too late.   [Back to Top]