Mother's Day Thoughts and Encouragement

Life moves fast.  The meaning of holidays can get lost in the shuffle. Mother's Day is a holiday which can rush up and rush by in the busyness of this time of year, for me.  But I'm stopping today to think and share encouragement about being a mom. Read this, if you're a mom of little children. I'm sure it was the Lord Who led me to read a few of my last year's posts on the theme "A Mother's Heart." Short and sentimental, this one's entitled, "Treasure Them While You Can."

Every year I find myself wondering, "What can I do for, or give to, my mother that will bless her this Mother's Day?"  This morning I woke up with the idea of writing my mom a thankful letter for all she is and has been in my life.  In fact, I thought that each one in our family should write a note of thanks to her.  Perhaps I was unconsciously prompted by last year's Mother's Day post, which my husband wrote. I had forgotten that he wrote this until I began reading past posts, and I might have lost this tender and timely message, had it not been recorded here.


Please read Make Your Mother's Day Special--Honor Your Mother, written by my husband. It's partly history of the holiday, partly exhortation to all who have a mother, and profoundly thought-provoking. It was presented to our Home Church which met on Mother's Day last year.


Finally, as a mom, I am very proud of my children. But God gets all the praise. Read this heartwarming story that tells of "A Good Day In The Life of a Mom" when I received something that all moms look forward to getting and treasure forever when they do.
Happy Mother's Day!

Why Your Children Need Their Grandparents

Do you have elderly parents or grandparents?  Do you ever see them?  How often?  If you are not able to see them, do you write to them?  Call them?  Send packages to them??  Do your children know them?  Really know them?


Tonight, in my home in the USA, via Skype with the aid of a webcam, my father-in-law, aged 88, who is visiting us, spoke to and saw, LIVE, his granddaughter and her new baby daughter.......in China.  They had a nice conversation. Then he spoke to his daughter in Japan where she and her husband are missionaries, and she could see us all sitting behind her dad in our family room.  They will soon be getting a webcam, so that her new baby granddaughter in China will know who she is when next they see each other.


We sometimes take these technological advances for granted.  My sister-in-law commented how different it was 30 years ago when they left for Japan, and the only way to communicate was through snail mail.  I remember a memorable Christmas, when all the family gathered around the telephone awaiting a phone call from her sister, also a missionary, in Australia.  It was thrilling, but certainly frustrating, too, talking to her for the minute or less I was allowed, because there was at least a 3-5 second delay after everything said.  Now, when talking to my sister-in-law on the phone in Japan, she sounds like she's next door!


Nowadays, you don't have to become a missionary to end up living far away from parents and grandparents.  Busyness, too, can place "distance" between families.  Many factors seek to destroy the connection between the generations.  The Bible has much to say about generational faithfulness, and the responsibilities of grandparents in their grandchildren's lives.  Fathers are to teach their children and their children's children the truth of God's Word.  Deuteronomy 4:9--"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons."  Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 17:6, Psalm 45:10 are just some of the additional passages which speak to this.  

Psalm 78:1-7
Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments

Do elderly parents' hearts rejoice when they can both see and hear their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, hundreds or thousands of miles away?  Does it make a difference in a child's life when there's a grandparent present on a day-to-day basis in their life?  What if there is a relationship built up between Grandpa and Grandma and grandchild? In this day and age of people moving multiple times and all around the world, what are some things that can be done to cause closer relationships between generations?  Could technology be used, when there is distance, to make a positive impact on the future by fostering relationships through communication?

We must be intentional, if we're going to obey God in this area. Here are two excellent articles on the subject.  There's two at this link on The Grandparents' Role and the third is on how to make it work when your children's grandparents are a long ways away, entitled Long-distance Grandparenting.  Great articles.  (I will be on the lookout for some articles coming at this from a distinctly Christian perspective, as well.)


If you are living far away from your parents or grandparents, think about intentionally planning how to keep, or make, the relationships strong--between you and your parents and between your children and their grandparents.  It's never too late, as long as they are still living.  If the grandparents have a computer, why not buy a webcam, (they're not very expensive) and get Skype (it's free).  You'll be able to see and talk to them free no matter where they live--and connect relationally!  Better yet, why not plan out how and when you will see them on a fairly regular basis.  If they are Christians, it's important to realize that God, in Scripture, commands parents to teach their children and their children's children. So, they need to have input into your children's lives.  (This is a multi-generational perspective, which we should have in our minds as we're training our children, as well, right now--what you do in training and raising your children will have an impact on your grandchildren some day.  Since you are responsible for teaching your children's children, too, it's important to realize that you're training your grandchildren's parents.  You are having input into your grandchildren's lives when you train your children.  Later when you actually do have grandchildren, you'll enjoy the privilege (Lord willing) of teaching them about Christ, sharing the gospel with them, and of teaching them a way to live that is pleasing to God.  By your impact and influence, by loving them, by how you live, and by being a part of their lives, you will make a difference and have the joy of knowing that your  grandchildren are walking with the Lord.  The responsibility for how they turn out will mainly fall to their parents, though, but you are raising them right now, aren't you?


Honoring your elders--your parents and your children's grandparents--is obeying God.  And building closer relationships between them and your children will be a great blessing not only to your parents, but to your children, because grandparents are a very important part of a child's life.

Make Your Mother's Day Special--Honor Your Mother!

May 8, 1914 (97 years ago) Congress passed a law designating the 2nd Sunday of May as Mothers Day.  On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed to the nation the first Mothers Day.  A day to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.  Predating the officially proclaimed day, there was a day set aside in many areas and organizations for the purpose of healing a community torn by a civil war, and to bring honor to those who sacrificed.  Now, Mothers Day is a retailing and marketing event, a real bonanza in the world of commerce.  Mothers Day is also observed in some other countries, like Canada, today, and Mexico, tomorrow.  It is Mother's Day, not Mothers' Day, meaning that it is singular.  It is a mother that you honor, not all mothers.  Men, this is not Wife's Day, but Mother's Day.  Ladies, it's ok to receive honor from your country for your contributions to patriotism of the next generation.  It's ok to receive honor from your church fellowship for your contribution to sustaining and preserving the Church into the next generation.  It's ok to receive honor from your husband for your huge contribution in raising up your children.  But, in all that, do not lose sight of the fact that it is Mother's Day, your mother's day.  So the first admonition to each one of us is not "Honor mothers", but "Honor your mother"!  Singular.

It doesn't matter where your mother is in the mothering and raising you up process, that is to say, it doesn't matter how old you are.  As a human being created by God in your mother's womb, you should honor the mother that makes you aware of the fact that you are made in the image of God.  As a son, you should honor a mother that raises you up as a man of good character and high moral standards.  As an American citizen, you should honor the mother that raises you up as a citizen, a soldier, a patriot ready to defend and sustain your country.  As a Christian, you should honor the mother that raises you up as a soldier and workman that stands upon God's Word and perpetuates and sustains the Church of Jesus Christ until He returns.  As a daughter, you should honor the mother that raises you up as a good and Godly woman to carry on and support and help a good and Godly man to fulfill his calling, and to bring forward the next generation.  Honor your mother!

Anna Jarvis was one of the people that battled relentlessly to get an official annual Mother's Day established.  She despised the idea of commercializing it.  She believed the day should stay focused on honoring mother, your mother.  The story is told that, after the day had been officially established, she once went into a restaurant and ordered the "Mothers Day Salad" and upon receiving it she dumped it out on the floor, and walked out, to make her point.

From an editorial in a Canadian newspaper:  "Or give Anna Jarvis what she fought so hard to create--a day with no shopping, no donations, no greeting cards.  Sit down, with pen and paper, and write a love letter to your mother.  Tell her what she means to you, what you love about her.  Don't fret if words aren't really your thing--she already knows that, and will value the effort all the more.  If it's too late and the brunch is done and the shrink-wrap is already off the patio furniture, write the letter anyway.  Which do you think your mother will treasure more?"  Honor your mother!  God arranged it so that we each have a mother, so let's see what you can do to make this a Happy Mother's Day.  I lost my mother back in July, so I cannot fulfill this admonition any more, so I pass it on to each of you.

Make your Mother's Day special today.  Honor your mother!

*This was written by my husband, and will be shared with our Home Church tomorrow, Mother's Day, 2010, when he speaks to our group, which meets in our home once a month.  These thoughts were challenging to me, and I hope will be to you, as well. (I am proud of my husband, his thoughts, and his writing. Maybe he should be a regular contributor!)