Happy Mother's Day!

05/12/2024

I think I've pretty well established over the years that I’m not really good at the whole 'Mother’s Day' thing. I'm way too practical, which is kind of antithetical to 'Mother’s Day' because it's more about sentiment and appreciation, maybe...? Anyway - not only am I not good at 'Mother’s Day' in general, I find 'Mother’s Day' messages hard to do, as well. First, because, what can you say that wasn’t already said last year? - And second, because 'Mother’s Day' can really be a mixed bag of emotions for some.

Perhaps you've recently lost your mother and this day is kind of rough for you. Maybe you weren’t blessed with the ideal mother and it’s kind of a sore subject. Maybe you wanted to be a mother and couldn’t. Maybe you’ve lost a child and this day is a painful reminder. Whatever your situation, I wanted to be able to bring something that would be a blessing to you.

When it comes to Mother's Day cards - most of us try to pick out just the right card that best matches our feelings. Well, today, I’d like to share a handful of different scriptures with you. My hope is that just the right one will apply exactly to you and your situation, and help you to celebrate today. I wanted to start by looking at something that every mother, and really each of us, has felt at one time or another...

#1. When you feel discouraged

Everyone can relate to that, but especially mothers. And the more I see firsthand what a mother endures on a regular basis in my own household, the more I have to apologize to my own mother. So, let’s say that God was going to write a card this morning just for you. I’m sure that His words would be more appropriate than mine – so, what might He write? Let’s look at 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, (5) who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
(6) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (7) These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
(8) Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, (9) for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

When we feel discouraged – we can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we still have a reason to smile, regardless of our current circumstances. Because we know Jesus and the promise of life in Him!

There are a lot of joys in this life - but this life can also be hard. But this life is not all there is! God didn't create us for just this! This life is just the warm up to eternity! You were created by Him and for Him! If your hopes and dreams live separately from God's plans for your life - you will be let down. But when your focus is on serving God - even mundane tasks and drudgeries take on a higher meaning.

When your focus becomes more on your - and your family's - salvation and God's glory - you can battle discouragement knowing that God has something better in store for His faithful ones!

Maybe you’re at another place. Maybe as you struggle through life you want encouragement…

#2. When you feel angry

It's amazing the incredible depth of love you can feel when you look at your children. And it's even more amazing the incredible anger you can feel towards those same little children. In dealing with these 'little angels', even the most sainted mother has lost her temper at some point. Is it a sin to be angry? Let’s see what God might write in your card…

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (27) and do not give the devil a foothold.

Notice it doesn’t say, “Your anger is a sin” but “in your anger do not sin". Anger in itself is not a sin. It’s a natural emotion, a response to things that aren’t right – however, we're not to let our anger control us and then cause us to sin - to do something we shouldn't. And how do we do that? God gives us support in Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)...

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

I did plenty of things to anger my mother - and she has forgiven me and loves me anyway. And remember that God has plenty of reasons to be angry with you – but He has forgiven you through Jesus. We have all been given grace that we did not deserve. When we reflect on God's grace - we can learn to control our anger and use it as a tool rather than a weapon. Something to move us to action instead of causing damage.

As a mother, as a parent, what might you need to hear…

#3. When you feel alone

My guess is many mothers would beg to feel alone for an hour – to just get away from everything for a while. - To just use the restroom with the door closed without a child interrupting. But on the other end of it - the design for successful parenting is for our children to grow up and leave us. The basic design has a sense of loss baked right in.

But what about when we feel abandoned? - When we need someone and feel like no one is there for us? Perhaps we need to hear the words of Jesus to His disciples when they were struggling with doubts…

John 14:18 (NIV)

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

We are not alone. And when Jesus says it – He means it. God created us for a purpose and He loves us and nothing will change that. And then let’s add…

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, (39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. He loves you! And He demonstrated it through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. We don't earn God's love - we accept God's love through Jesus. And there's also nothing you can do to make God love you less.

God loves you! And He does not expect you to do everything to which He has called you on your own! We know this is true - without Him, you do not have all the resources needed to serve and to minister to those in your care. You cannot raise a child with Godly values without God’s help! His design is that we have to rely on Him!

People like to say, "God never gives you more than you can handle." Sure He does! God gives us all sorts of things over the course of our lives that are simply too big for us to handle on our own! But He doesn't expect us to do it alone! And one more scripture...

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

That has become one of my favorite verses. "He will make your paths straight." It doesn't say, "Trust in the Lord - but you're on your own! Good luck with that!" "He will make your paths straight" - God will do the heavy lifting!

We need to acknowledge that God's ways may be very different from our ways of doing things - but His plans are always better than our plans. His timing is not our timing – but once again, it is always best! When you need help, God will be there even when others may fail you.

- What about a card from God for…

#4. When you feel tired

And 'moms' are never tired, right? Several websites did research to find what the financial equivalent would be for the average stay-at-home mom for all the jobs she does - cook, housekeeper, nurse, conflict manager, chauffeur, project manager, counselor, etc. They claim that if she was to be paid what’s she’s worth - the median annual salary for moms this year would be between $140,000 - $184,820. Is it any wonder that mother’s are tired?

And what does Jesus have to say to those who are tired?

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

When you can’t find rest any place else in your life – you can find rest in Jesus. Our relationship with Him is supposed to be restful, not full of guilt or duty or ‘busyness’. When you have accepted Jesus as your Lord; when you've been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins – Jesus isn’t there reminding you of how you’ve fallen short – He’s there to hold you up. He’s there to bring you into the refreshing presence of God.

'Religion' can be exhausting - doing all the right things in just the right way in order to merit God's favor. A relationship with Jesus is freeing. It allows you to come to God without being perfect, without having it all together, without guilt about not being able to measure up. Life is busy and stressful - spending time with Jesus, and for Jesus, shouldn't be.

And when we’re tempted to give up because it's all just too much…

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This world is not just about killing time with ‘busyness’ until we die. We are working for a purpose – His purpose. Those who are mothers have been given some huge responsibilities – and they've been given them by God. And all of us in the Church have been given responsibilities by God. Those responsibilities can be summed up by the words on our wall - We are to Know God, to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior; we are to Grow in our relationship with Him and with each other; and we are to Go serve each other and to Go share His message of hope.

Even when we're tired, God tells us that it will all be worth it. One last thing - what might God to say to mothers…

#5. When you are worried

I think that just goes along with the territory. I’ve never met a mother who didn’t worry. And remembering all the things that I did as a kid that my mom didn't know about, I can completely understand. Like when my brother and I rode our bikes across a drainage ditch all the way to Illinois when I was 11. Or my college road trip to Nashville with a car that had to be ‘push started’. Or the time a buddy and I chased zebras on foot - through a field - in the dark - in lion country in Africa. Yeah, my Mom knows now - and she's still not happy about it.

That being said – there is a lot in this world about which to legitimately worry. And honestly, these are some pretty 'challenging' times. And the dangers surrounding our kids and grandkids seem a whole lot worse than when I was a kid. So what would God say to mothers today?

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Yes, there are lots of bad things that can happen in this world. God is aware of them all. That's why He's given us the privilege of bringing our concerns to Him in prayer. He's given us a way to prevent us from going crazy with worry. We are to give these things over to God and He can give us peace.

And this is very important - notice, God never gave mothers the singular purpose of keeping their family completely safe. Christians aren't called to live safe lives. I'm not suggesting we throw caution to the wind and live recklessly. - But when we teach our children to follow Jesus, that isn't always the safest road. Jesus promised His followers persecution. Following Jesus will lead to confrontation and trouble in this world.

And as begrudgingly hard as it is for me to say - if a choice has to be made between my children being safe and being faithful to Jesus - I have to choose faithful. And I can only do that knowing that God loves my kids even more than I do. And God tells me...

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

God has asked us to give over our worry to Him knowing that He does care for us and what happens in our lives. And a bit of advice – don’t do what I find myself frequently doing. Don’t give your problems to God and then tell Him how to fix them. Trust Him and let Him solve things in His time in the way that He thinks best.

It’s not easy, but don’t rob yourself of blessings by trying to do God’s job for Him. - He can handle it.

So What?

I’d encourage you to take your bulletin home with you. Circle the scripture reference that may be what you need most today. Look it up this week and read it over as often as you need. Please consider it a gift from God and tuck it in with any Mother’s Day cards you may get. And those of us who don’t get cards today – you can go ahead and hang onto it, too. These promises are for us as well.

And I’d like to encourage all of us to remember the blessings that we have been given. Even if this is a day with mixed emotions – focus on God's blessings rather than your circumstances. “Thank you” to all of you who are mothers, and may God bless you! Happy Mother's Day!