Lasting Legacy: Mother's Day Message

Intro

I realize that Mother’s Day means a lot of things for a lot of women. For many this is a day where you are made to feel special, which you obviously deserve.

For others this is a day where you are reminded of the heartache you face over the loss of a child whether through tragedy, sickness, or even a miscarriage.

Perhaps today is a day that is a painful reminder of the struggle you have faced trying to have children only to remain childless and wondering if it is ever going to happen for you or not.

And then, there are women, who really aren’t interested in having children and today is always an awkward thing where you feel pressure to have children, or that you somehow aren’t as much of a woman as someone has had kids.

The truth is, we need to honors our mothers, but we also want to do so being sensitive to all of our women this morning. And so I pray that today you hear my heart as I strive to honor all of our women this morning both here in person and among our online attendees.

It would be nice if every child thought of their mother the way the Bible depicts their importance, wouldn’t it?

Have you heard this before?

To a four-year-old, Mommy can do anything.

To an eight-year-old, Mom knows a lot!

To a twelve-year-old, Mom doesn’t know much of anything.

To a sixteen-year-old, it’s not worth asking Mom, because she doesn’t know.

To an eighteen-year-old, Mother is way out of date.

To a twenty-five-year-old, Mom might know a thing or two.

To a thirty-five-year-old, it’s probably best to consult Mom on this issue.

To a fifty-year-old, some wish they could consult mom.

To a seventy-year-old, they often wonder what mom would have said about this.

Though the source of this saying is unknown, the reality is that children often grow in stages of how they feel about their moms. When they are young, mom’s know everything, then there is this stage when they know nothing. Then eventually they get old enough that they wish they could get their mom’s input. Maybe you can relate.

The truth is, mothers are some of the wisest people on Earth, but who at the same time receive some of the least recognition for it.

Big Idea

If there is one thing I could impress upon you today it that mothers, and more broadly, women are some of the most impactful people this world has ever known.

Since the beginning of time, women have contributed so much to society, time does not permit to tell of each contribution.

In biblical culture, it was the women who primarily raised and cared for the children—thus, they were the greatest examples children had from day to day.

Throughout history, women have contributed to great art, music, theology, education, exploration, and adventure.

Proverbs 31 depicts a strong, godly women as someone who runs her business and her home, all while making everyone— especially her husband and children—proud.

Power in the Text

The author of this Proverb describes how precious and valuable this kind of woman is.

Proverbs 31:10-12 NLT 10  Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

The writer goes on to describe a woman who is a hard worker, independent and capable or making wise financial decisions.

She is described as being generous and faithful.

She knows her family’s needs and strives to meet them. She is wise and kind with her words and in how she treats others and she is a blessing to her family.

Proverbs 31:25-30 NLT 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. 26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. 27 She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. 28 Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

When we read about this woman, we see a common theme in all that she does. You see this woman does everything she does with the future in mind.

Notice that it is never about her, and it isn’t even about right now. It is always about planning and preparing for the future. Whether it be in the way she...

Earns and invest her money

Provides essential things to her family

builds influential relationships

teaches, demonstrates and prepares here children

All of it is with the future in mind because this woman understands that her time as is the case with all of us is limited.

It is limited to a brief period of time wherein we have an opportunity to leave a mark that may or may not outlive us and that may or may not produce the fruit that we hope it will.

In the New Testament we read of an example of a woman, or actually 2 women like this. And it was their influence that gave us Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:3-5 NLT 3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.

The Bible tells us that Timothy was raised and inspired by his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, two great women in the Bible. These women were given credit for bringing up one of the most influential pastors in biblical record.

We don’t know much about Eunice, except that she was married to a Greek man (Acts 16:1).

We do know that Paul thought Timothy had great biblical training in his youth.

2 Timothy 3:15 NLT 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.

This can only be attributed to his mother and grandmother. They were the primary ones responsible for establishing Timothy in the faith. Because of the early training of these two godly women, God was able to use Paul to continue Timothy’s training.

Any mother would have been proud if Paul came to their hometown looking for someone to be the next leader, and he handpicked their son, attributing his godliness to the women in that young man’s life.

Why it Matters

Hey, moms, grandmas, ladies—what kind of influence and legacy are you leaving in the lives of your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, the next generation? Your influence is greater and broader than you realize!

Consider Moses’s mother, Jochebed, who was bold and courageous enough to take a risk so that Moses could live. Moses would eventually be one of Israel’s greatest and most faithful leaders.

Consider Deborah, in the book of Judges, who helped lead the entire nation of Israel into victory.

Consider Naomi, who helped Ruth find the one true God to where she would become a part of a godly heritage, in the kingly line of David and Jesus.

Consider Hannah, who begged and pleaded with God to give her a child, with the promise to give him right back to God. Hannah kept her promise, and Samuel would end up leading in some of Israel’s finest moments.

Consider Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the great faith she had to bear a child as a young woman who was a virgin. Her son, Jesus, was not only the Son of God, but also the Savior of the world.

The truth is, that for every success we read about in scripture, most of them started with a faithful woman in their life.

The problem is that today, for so many, we have taken the responsibilities that have historically belonged to mothers or parents in general and we have farmed them out to others.

We rely on others to educate our children and to provide for our children while they are at school.

We rely more on guidance counselors to direct our children towards their future than our own influence and direction.

We are seeing a generation of kids raised by screens and apps who really struggle in social settings because so many of their social experiences are through social media rather than meaningful in-person relationships.

We rely on Churches to provide programs and activities to teach our kids about God and His word, almost never mentioning it or teaching it at home.

And unfortunately we are only just beginning to see the devastating effects of this in our culture. But you know what, there is still time, there is still hope.

But in order for us to change things, we cannot relinquish our responsibilities to someone else, but instead, take ownership over our sphere of influence so that the next generation might be changed for the good.

Application/Closing

But here is the thing, and we need to address it. Earlier in my message I mentioned to you the woman in Proverbs 31. And when you read that, you may start to get this sense that who she is, and who you think you are, are so far from each other. That you couldn’t possibly measure up to that ideal.

In fact, rather than being encouraged, maybe this mornings message has had the opposite effect and it has left you feeling like a failure. Like you are have fallen short and couldn’t possible live up to that standard in Proverbs 31.

What is outstanding about each woman who made an impact in the Bible is that each of their stories are different. That means there isn’t one perfect candidate for being a great mom or woman.

In other words, you don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom, you don’t have to be a working mom, you might be a married mom, widowed mom, or a divorced mom.—you might not be a mom at all—but that doesn’t mean that God can’t still use you.

Listen to me, God can do anything with anyone who is fully consecrated to him. How are you allowing God to use your situation today?

Women are not empowered by societal dictates.

Women are not empowered by their home.

Women are not empowered by their workplace.

Women are not empowered by their bodies or the standards of beauty determined by our culture.

Women, like all people, are empowered by their intrinsic, God-given worth. God has a plan of influence for each person as an individual. What is God’s plan of influence for you today? Are you fulfilling it? Have you gotten distracted from that plan? Are you still seeking his plan?

Those are questions that only you can answer, and answer them you must. Happy Mother’s Day!