Supermom
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Mother’s Day - Normally dinner or brunch...
Can’t… Some can’t even see their mother in person
Sometimes try to atone for year of disrespect, lack of appreciation, neglect
Shouldn’t be, but it is
Maybe that’s why Milton Berle - If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?
Living in a post-Christian era
Church/Christianity not dead, but diminished in culture
People 100 years ago wouldn’t recognize us
View our morality, education, politics… even parenting
Our society has built it’s own structure for parenting
Sometimes, this secularism sneaks into the church
We accept cultural views of parenting without consulting Scripture
The bible should our source for learning things like parenting
Not just a supplement to it
We use Scripture to highly the pretty parts...
And use creativity to explain away the hard parts
Or we just ignore it
We acknowledge with our lips the sufficiency of God and His word
But we’re terrible at subjecting our lives to that word
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We should be forming everything we do around the word of God
We think this just means follow the rules…
But we don’t apply it to things like marriage or raising kids
As if God only says, don’t get divorced, and don’t let your kids watch R-rated movies
A Godly marriage isn’t just one that doesn’t end in divorce
I’ve seen plenty of people stay married and dishonor God all the way through
Godly children aren’t ones that are forced to follow God’s rules
I’ve seen plenty of sheltered kids go off the rails
This morning we’re going to talk about virtuous wives in a special way
YouVersion: Supermom in Proverbs 31:10-31
Background
Background
Looked at Proverbs 31 woman before
Talking about the roles of women in the church
Showed that women were seen in progressive way
Held authority, purchased property, owned a business
Today is a Mother’s Day perspective
Might say, it’s about wives, not moms!
True, but do you know where it came from?
1 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
These are the lessons of a mother to a son
Mother’s care about their sons direction
Joke: Bring home women like mother
My dad hated her
Inevitable Tash asks Ronnie: Is she a Christian?
Ronnie knows, she has instilled wisdom in him
Same with King Lemuel
Lemuel could be a name (foreign king) or “belonging to God”
Jewish tradition says it may be Solomon with advice from Bathsheba
This isn’t a list for women to follow, it’s for men...
Always tell people who are dating
Stop looking to land this great guy or girl
Work to become person deserving of a great guy or girl
Maybe why this writing is acrostic
Means alphabetical order (Hebrew)
Aleph, beth, gimel all the way to tau
A is for always going to my baseball games
B is for baking cookies
C is cleaning my room
D is for doing laundry, etc...
Might say ABC’s of finding a good woman
And so, these are for women - for a man to want to marry you, you should first be unmarried
Then you live these qualities out in marriage
Moms
Moms
Let’s look at a valuable wife in the context of a mother
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
Be thankful for the trustworthiness and devotion of a wife
How much more-so if she is a mother!
They are precious!
Salary.com says a mom should be paid $178,201 per year!
Instead they’re paid in finger-paintings and half-chewed graham crackers
If that doesn’t earn your confidence, I don’t know what will
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
She is diligent and wise - she works hard
And it never stops
One woman said, “Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
Mothers care for the needs of others
They worry about their husband, their kids, and the needy
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Mom’s are prepared and dependable
Whether it’s bad weather, a bad economy, or a pandemic...
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
2 things there
First, charm and beauty are nice for mom’s to have...
But how much more is the fear of the Lord
Remember this is a mother talking to a king
He can have any woman he wants!
But his mom says, stop worrying about beauty and charm...
There’s something more important
In 1978, Cheryl Bradshaw was on “The Dating Game”
The guy she picked was a smooth talker
He knew it too, told other contestants “I always get the girl”
When they met backstage, he creeped her out
She wouldn’t go with him
Turns out he was Rodney Alcala - serial rapist and murderer
Again, looks and charm are not always the best features
She is saying all that other stuff is important...
Because that other stuff is a reflection of God
Second, you might be thinking, this stuff isn’t just for a mom...
It’s for Supermom!
That’s true, it’s a supernatural motherhood
Led by a supernatural God
And it’s important to strive for it with God’s help
Scripture makes it clear, family is the foundation of human society
While father’s are ultimately responsible for a family’s direction
the mother is the glue that holds it all together
Jackie Kennedy - If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.
If you are a mother, nothing you do is more important
That’s not to say you can’t have a career, hobbies or ministry...
C.S. Lewis asked, “What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes. The homemaker’s job is one for which all other’s exist.”
Rachel Jankovic said, “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling… It is not something you do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.”
Motherhood isn’t about reducing a woman’s value
It’s about revealing it...
There’s no reason anyone should look down on a mother
We should instead appreciate them!
Saving Sanity
Saving Sanity
And so, with the depth of responsibility and width of task...
How do we keep mom’s from losing their minds?
Some of you are thinking, TOO LATE!
Some days my kids can do no wrong. Other days I understand why some species eat their young.
First, dad’s have to help out in some way
Every household is different, but all have an opportunity for selfless sacrifice
In my house, we are more traditional - it works for us
I provide all the financial stuff, handle the maintenance, put gas in the car… You will never see Tash with a lawnmower
She tried to cut the grass when we first got married...
We don’t talk about that black day...
Tash handles cooking and cleaning and groceries and budgeting
I’m not allowed in the kitchen, unless I’m fixing something
In our house, if I fold laundry it’s not my responsibility
That would go a long way (notice I’m speaking hypothetically)
In your house, you may split responsibilities
Dads, if you fold the laundry that might just be you doing your job...
The question is, how can you go over and above your responsibilities?
Can you sacrifice an extra round of golf to make dinner...
An extra episode of Law and Order to do the laundry...
10 minutes of sleep to fill up her car so she can leave later to work...
Second, kids have to help out in some way
Kids are very capable if we allow them to be
I’m shocked at how little some kids can do
One mother yelled at her mother in law, “Stop telling me how to raise my children! I live with one of yours and he could have come out a lot better!”
Our kids are only exposed to what we expose them to
Do your kids know how to turn on the washing machine? Can they change a tire? Can they balance a budget?
If not, why? Teaching them will not ruin their childhood, it will improve their adulthood
Guess what? It will improve yours too!
Third, ladies you have to do this yourself...
Get your priorities straight!
Susan Savannah - If your kids are giving you a headache, follow the directions on the aspirin bottle, especially the part that says ‘keep away from children’
You have to watch your breaking point
Have you read the story of Martha and Mary
Martha worked her butt off while Mary sat and listened to Jesus
Martha went to Jesus and said, “Tell her to help me!”
What did Jesus say?
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Not only is this saying to sit down every once in awhile
Don’t let your perfectionism or burden of responsibility hold you prisoner...
But He is saying, put God first
Cooking, cleaning, diapers, career, whatever
All of that is important… but God first
Closing
Closing
Let me leave you with this verse
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
God doesn’t require perfection
But He asks you to walk in His perfection
Take time at the feet of Jesus
Look at what the word says, then what the world says
Make sure you look like the first
PRAYER
May God bless you and keep you
And may you never truly learn what happens when mom counts to 3
Happy Mother’s Day
