Mothers

“Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.”
Proverbs 23:19, 22 & 24 (NIV)

With Mother’s Day being advertised everywhere, you can’t help but know that this coming Sunday, 22nd March is this year’s UK Mother’s Day. If you look into the origin of Mother’s Day you find that it falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Anciently, the English and Irish used this day to honour and decorate their ‘Mother Church’, the Church where they were baptized. What a good idea to give your church a gift on Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day was later broadened to include our human Mothers, hence the name ‘Mothering Sunday’. Traditionally during this holiday children had a day off work to spend the day with their family and the fasting rules for Lent were relaxed in honour of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand.

In modern times this day is a day for honouring our Mothers, with the Day being different dates in different countries, and celebrated with different customs. It has largely become separated from any religious significance, although the Bible has much to say about honouring our parents, from children being exhorted to obey (Ephesians 6:2), to the wrong practice of using church-giving as an excuse not to care for them (Matthew 15:5).

The book of Ruth in the Bible, is a poignant story of honouring a beloved mother. Proverbs 31 tells of the woman of noble character, saying she is worth far more than rubies, her husband has full confidence in her, she works hard & is diligent, she looks after the needy, cares for her family, and that her children arise and call her blessed. Verse 30 concludes, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

     Here is a shortened version of an email sent to me some time ago:
     Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby …
     Somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, “normal” is history.

     Somebody said being a mother is boring …
     Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a learner’s permit!

     Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother ….
     Somebody never helped a child with maths.

     Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home ….
     Somebody never had grandchildren.

     Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her ….
     Somebody isn’t a mother.

Mothers have a special place in our hearts, let’s honour them not only on Mother’s Day, but every day!

Prayer
Dear God, help us in all we do and say to honour our human parents, which glorifies you, our Father in Heaven!
Amen

Study by Nancy Silcox