No one deserves a special day all to herself more than today’s Mom.
If there was ever a group of people that deserves a special day, it would have to be mothers. Mothers are a special group who have to look at every situation with a wisdom and compassion.I’m not here today to preach, but to praise! I’m here today to honor our mothers. Paul said in Romans 13:6 “to give honor to whom honor is due.”
Honor is certainly due to most mothers. And most of this honor may well be overdue! Or past due! On this day that we honor mothers, its good for us to think about how much you really do. Being a mother is not a walk in the park…
Of course we should always honor our moms every day of the year. You know, mothers do a lot for us. When we were kids our mothers prepared food for us to eat, they turned a house into a home, they mended our wounds, they consoled us when we faced disappointments, they cheered us on when we did something well, and perhaps the greatest contribution of all is that they instructed us about life.
Proverbs 6:20 says, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.”
Mothers taught us a lot about life itself! What a blessing to have a loving mother, one who takes her role very seriously.I read an article that said, By the time a child reaches 18, a mother has had to handle some extra 18,000 hours of child-generated work. In fact, women who never have children enjoy the equivalent of an extra three months a year in leisure time!
Being a mother is a tough job and we recognize and honor that today. In fact, mothers recognize all too well that as they raised their children in life all kinds of things lie in wait to waylay them – things like drugs & gangs & alcohol & pornography. And they must be strong if they are going to overcome that.
In the past, our educational system encouraged development of Christian principles and attitudes. But today that is not necessarily true. Too often, children are being taught that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong. Anything goes, and everything is permissible, as long as it feels good.
So it’s difficult being a Christian mother today. But as hard as that may be, we need to realize that difficulties are not unique to our time. In every age Motherhood has had it’s share of difficulties.
For example, let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, and consider some of the difficulties she faced and apply them to our lives today.
I. THE DIFFICULTIES MARY FACED
A. First of all, she faced the difficulty of a tarnished reputation. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Now we know the rest of the story, and that the child in her womb was of the Holy Spirit, and is the Son of God.
But do you think they believed that story in the little town of Nazareth? If you came from a small town or village you know that juicy gossip is a hot item in small towns. And here’s this unmarried teenage girl expecting a child. Oh, how the gossips must have enjoyed talking about that!
In fact, 30 years later when Jesus was beginning His ministry, His enemies said to Him, “We are not illegitimate children.” In opposing Him they weren’t above putting in what they thought was a knife and twisting it.
On this Mother’s Day you may not feel too comfortable. Maybe there are some things in your past that you’re not very proud of, and you feel guilty. Maybe there are dark skeletons in your closet and you feel unworthy as a mother.
Let me remind you. God not only forgives, He also forgets. Encourage your children not to repeat the mistakes you made, but help them realize that God is a God of mercy & grace. You have had a new beginning with Him, so encourage them to live lives that are worthy of His love.
B. Secondly, Mary experienced the difficulty of poverty. The book of Philippians says that Jesus was rich and then He became poor for our sakes.
I tend to think that we don’t realize how poor Mary and Joseph were. When Jesus was brought to the Temple as a baby for the first time, Joseph and Mary offered 2 doves, the sacrifice of the very poorest in society.
Are you poor? If you have experienced the pressure of trying to buy the things your children want – the right running shoes, the right designer clothes, & all the other things they may want very much – then take the time to teach them that life does not consist of the abundance of things we possess. Teach them that there are other things much more important, eternal things we can’t see that will last forever and ever.
C. Thirdly, Mary faced the difficulty of people’s hatred for her child, even at His birth. Matthew 2 says that “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. `Get up,’ he said, `take the child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill Him.’” When Jesus was born evil was set in motion to do away with Him.
The same thing happens when a child is born today, for Satan sees that child as God’s gift to you. Psalms 127:3 says, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.” Satan knows that the quickest way to destroy your family is to attack your child who doesn’t have the maturity or power to deal with him.
Jesus said of Satan, “He’s a murderer from the beginning. There’s no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native tongue.”
Please Mothers, to protect your children in their vulnerable years you may have to curtail the television or computer and monitor what’s being viewed in your living room or in your child’s bedroom. You may even have to shut them off.
You may have to go to school once in a while and talk to teachers and administrators about what your children are being taught. You will need to discipline them and train them to respect adults and authority, and to grow up to be strong Christian men or women.
D. One other difficulty Mary experienced was being a single mom. We don’t know what happened to Joseph. Most scholars assume that he must have died when Jesus was in His teens, for the last time he is mentioned was when Jesus was 12 years old and in the Temple at Jerusalem. After that trip, Joseph is never mentioned again. So Mary became a single mom, raising Jesus and their other children by herself.
I want to say to you single moms, our hats are off to you. You’re having to be both mom & dad to your kids. And when you get up early on every morning & go through all the work of getting your children ready for school and – that’s double work for you, and we want you to know it doesn’t go unnoticed. May God bless you & your children for what you’re doing. …
