Honoring Mom

Mom.

We all have one. Your mother might be the “All-American Mom”, resembling June Cleaver, Clair Huxtable, or Carol Brady. She might be the epitome of grace, virtue, wisdom, and beauty. She might be the picture of grace under pressure who, in the face of difficulty, eschews panic…  instead opting for words of wisdom:

“Six kids and no noise. THAT’S what’™s the matter with that… I’ve never heard such a loud silence.” ~ Carol Brady… The Brady Bunch

“And THAT, young man, is what marriage is made of: it is give-and-take… fifty-fifty. And if you don’t get it together, and drop these macho attitudes, you are never gonna have anybody bringing you anything anywhere any place any time EVER.” ~ Claire Huxtable… The Cosby Show

“Wally, you never use not and hardly together. Either you’re not doing anything, or you’re hardly doing anything.” ~ June Cleaver… Leave It To Beaver

“You’ll shoot your eye out.” ~ Mrs. Parker… A Christmas Story

Or…

You may have a mom rooted in the reality of family life, grounded in the grit of the “daily grind” of a job outside the home, and content to trade in the “SuperMom” spandex and super-hero gadgetry for a juice-stained blouse, a minivan, and a Cuisinart… answering to the titles “medic”, “cook”, “cleaner”, “banker”,  “enforcer”, and “sage”.

Whatever side of the spectrum your mom falls on, she is – first and foremost – your mom. You love her, admire her, respect her, and cherish her…

Or, at least you should.

Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” ~ Ephesians 6:2-3

“The first commandment with a promise”. Wow! God places such a high value on the position of parents that the commandment to honor them is the first one tied to a promise. Even though the idea of giving mom a special day is a comparatively new idea (May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day), the Bible places value on honoring mom as far back as the time of Moses. Exodus 20:12 says…

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

While I know that not everyone has the blessing of being raised by loving, Godly parents, I am thankful for mine. I was raised by Gladys. She was a no-foolishness kind of woman. She commanded respect, demanded obedience, and did it all with a firm hand and a loving heart. Regardless of where we were on any given day, come Sunday, we were in church. Even during a time that my father was far from God, drowning in the “black sea of alcoholism”, my mom was the rock. She determined that ours would be a Christian home, held my siblings and I to obedience to Him, and “did without” personally so that we would have what we needed. Because of her prayers and example, my father forsook alcohol, embraced the Cross of Jesus, and finished his life strong as a servant of God. And although Gladys is no longer with us, we are blessed to still have Pauline, my wife’s wonderful mother, with us. Having both been raised by Godly mothers has contributed deeply into making us the people we are today.

This Sunday, May 12, 2013, is Mother’s Day. What can you do to show honor to your mother? What way can you say “thank you” to your mother, and let her know that you value the life, love, and sacrifice she has shown you over the years?

Be creative. I hope that you can express yourself in a way commensurate with the promises God has made to you for your obedience to Him… and your mom.

So, to my wonderful wife Paulette – the mother of three of the best kids in the world – and all of the other hard-working moms reading this… May you have a blessed and happy Mother’s Day!

Pastor Ron