Honor Your Mother

Mother’s Day 2003: Honor Your Mother

Ephesians 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 5:16

Ephesians 6:2. “Honor your Father and Mother which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”

Deuteronomy 5:16: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord you God gives you.”

One of the first things I learned as a child was to respect my parents, especially my mother. As a child, I was around my mother more because my father for a long time worked more than one job to provide for the family. I do not recall one time that my mother ever told me “Wait till your father gets home and he will deal with you.” Oh no, my mother was from the “very old school” who believed in taking care of things right then and there. So for that reason, I head a very real respect for my mother at a very young age. As I grew older, I learned to honor her, and now her memory. I also learned to honor my wife as the mother that she is and all of the other mothers here today.

I love to read Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. For those of you not familiar with this comic, Calvin is a 7-year (Dennis the Menace) and Hobbes is his stuffed tiger that is actually alive to him. Anyway, in one book, for Mother’s Day, Calvin is standing by his mother’s bed when he says “Hey, Mom! Wake up. I made you a Mother’s Day card.” His mother was very please and started to read the card out loud as Calvin stood there smiling. This is what the card said:

“I was going to buy a card with hearts of pink and red.

But then I thought I’d rather, spend the money on me instead.

It’s awfully hard to buy things when one’s allowance is so small.

So I guess you’re plenty lucky I got you anything at all.

Happy Mother’s Day. There, I’ve said it, now I’m done.

So how about getting out of bed and fixing breakfast for your son.”

Now Calvin had the right idea in deciding to give her “a” card, but being true to form, his natural instinct to be self absorbed took over and the results ended in what was written in the card. So may times we are like Calvin, so self absorbed that we cannot appreciate others, especially our mothers who made/makes sacrifices for us daily.

Almost 90 years ago, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public

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expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country. All of us are products of our mother. Everything that you needed to know, somewhere along the line, a mom probably taught you. Here are a few of the things we have learned from mothers that I received from others (J. Smith, sermoncentral.com, Cynthia, etc) and from my own mother. I am sure you will be able to relate.

My mother taught me:

• It’s okay for a man to cry. I cried almost every time I got whipping and she thought that that was okay (actually good for me) because I was learning my lesson.

• Logic. She asked, “If everyone else jumps off the cliff are you going to jump too?

• To Cook. “If you’re hungry, go in the kitchen and fix you something, there is no maid in this house.”

• Value of Image. “Boy you want to dress like you have a million dollars and you don’t have a pot to pee in.”

• To Meet a Challenge. “What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you… don’t talk back to me”

• Wisdom that comes with Age. “Keep on living, you’ll see, you’ll understand.”

• Anticipation and receiving (with it’s okay to cry). “When we get home, I’m getting you. Remember what you did last week, okay it’s time.”

• Sex. “I have raised my kids – I won’t raise yours - so keep it in your pants.”

What other mother’s taught:

• Medicine. “If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they will freeze that way.”

• To think ahead. “If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job.”

• Humor. “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.

• Roots. “Do you think you were born in a barn?

• Genetics. “You’re just like your father.”

• Justice. “One day you will have kids and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you will see what it’s like. I can’t wait!”