A Tribute To Mothers Series

A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

INTRO.- ILL.- A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was covered with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, etc.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, ’What happened here today?’ She again smiled and answered, ’You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?’ ’Yes,’ was his incredulous reply.

She answered, ’Well, today I didn’t do it.’

Abraham Lincoln wrote: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

Lincoln’s mother must have had a great influence on his life and perhaps, more than his father did. Mothers of the past did have a greater influence perhaps than modern mothers because they were home all the time. They never worked outside the home.

I feel for mothers today because I think that many of them would prefer to stay home and do their motherly things. The pressure of society of wanting to have more and do more forces most mothers to have a full-time job outside the home. Sad but true. Perhaps if we all lived on less we would have more. We might have less material things but we would have more spiritual values and strength. And also, have more influence on our children.

Today, we want to honor our mothers. Of course, honoring our mothers should be an on-going thing, not just one time a year.

PROP.- Three different scriptures and thoughts that give tribute to mothers from whom we can learn.

I. A MOTHER NEVER CEASES BEING MOTHERLY

Romans 16:13 “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”

The apostle Paul said that the mother of his friend, Rufus, had been a mother to him as well. No doubt she had concern for Paul like his own mother would have had and she might have cooked for him or did some other things for him like any mother would do.

Did you ever have a childhood friend who stayed at your home more than they did their own home? And if so, did your mother “mother them” just like she did you? Or maybe it was you who stayed at your good friend’s house and his or her mother became a second mother to you?

Once a mother, always a mother. When a mother ceases to have children at home, she is still a mother and does motherly things. Even if it’s a matter of mothering other children.

Did you ever have a second mother? That is, did you ever have a woman in your life whom you considered to be a second mother to you?

ILL.- Elizabeth Edwards (wife of John Edwards, the former U.S. Senator from North Carolina) left behind not only her three children, but a grieving former nanny who says Edwards was like a mom to her, too.

"I lived with them for a lot of years every single day," Heather North, a nanny for the Edwards family for five years. "She’s my second mother. She helped shape the person that I am. We love her dearly. She is an amazing woman." WHAT A NICE TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH EDWARDS WHO PASSED FROM CANCER!

ILL.- My Second Mother By Scarlet D., Cleburne, TX: “Teachers are like second parents. Between junior high and high school I have had thirty-six different teachers. Of those, none have made a bigger difference in my life than Mrs. Lisa Benson.

“Mrs. Benson teaches Accounting at Cleburne High School. Since the first day I met her (my freshman year) she has helped mold my future. As a freshman, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. The first day of class, Mrs. Benson discussed what accounting was and how it elates to the real world. The enthusiastic tone in her voice and extensive knowledge of the profession made me become interested in an accounting career. Every question I asked was answered with complete honesty and no sugar coating.