Extreme Home Makeover: Moms Edition Series

EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER: MOTHER’S DAY

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 5/13/2012

Two little boys bought their mom a wreath of flowers for Mother’s Day. They were so excited to give it to her because they had used their own money. Mom held back laughter when she saw the ribbon that said, “Rest in peace.” The older of the two boys explained, “We thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace and quiet so that you can rest.”

Erma Bombeck once said, “The easiest part of being a mother is giving birth. The hardest part is showing up for it each day...”

Mother’s Day is traditionally the day when children give something back to their mothers for all the spit they produce to wash dirty faces, all the old gum they held in their hands, all the noses they wipe, and all the bloody knees they “made better” with a kiss.

It’s an appreciation day for making your children finish something they said they couldn’t do, not believing them when they said, “I hate you,” and sharing their good times and bad times. Their cards probably won’t reflect it, but what they are trying to say is, “Thank you for showing up each day.”

As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, I’m reminded of a verse from the psalms: “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain” (Psalm 127:1 HCSB). In fact, this verse is going to be the cornerstone for a series of messages starting today on Mother’s Day and culminating in six weeks on Father’s Day.

Unless you just don’t have a television in your house, then I’m sure you’ve seen some of these Home Makeover TV shows that populate nearly every network. They have teams of experts who come in and remodel or redecorate rooms or whole houses. There’s Trading Spaces, Clean House, Curb Appeal, Design on a Dime, and, of course, Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Can you imagine building or remodeling a house without a plan? Saying, “Let’s just wing it?” No sensible person would think of starting without a well-thought-out plan or blueprint from an architect. And yet, so many couples try to build not just their house, but their home without consulting God’s divine design for marriage, or family, or parenthood. Some of us have made such a mess, just hammering away without consulting the Master Architect, that we are in desperate need of an extreme home makeover.

Today’s message is Extreme Home Makeover: Mother’s Day Edition, and I want to share some of God’s home-building instructions for moms—especially young moms with kids at home. If you’re not a mom or even if you’re a grandma, don’t check out on me because some of these principles will apply to you no matter what stage of life you’re in. All of these instructions are found in Psalm 127 and the first on is this—rely on the Lord.

• RELY ON THE LORD

Mom’s as you set out to build or remodel your home, you have to rely on the Lord. He created the family in the first place. It’s God’s design and he knows how it will best function. Let’s go back to that anchor verse again. It says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” (Psalm 127:1 NLT). The building of a house, here, illustrates the creation of a family. The point is—if it’s to be done right, God must inspire and empower the building efforts.

God wants to be intimately involved in the everyday life of your family. A long time ago, I heard about a family that was getting ready to go on vacation. They got the car all loaded up and pulled out of the driveway. As they started down the road, a little boy piped up from his car seat, “Mommy, can we drive by the church?”

“Why do you want to do that?” asked mom.

“So I can wave goodbye to God.”

As adorable as that little guy sounds, his comments reveal a serious problem. If your kids think that God lives at church, then that means they don’t see very much of him around the house. Moms, you’ve got to make sure that God’s presence is felt in every room of your house. Moses gave the moms and dads of ancient Israel this command in order to help with that: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NLT).