Mothers Are Special
ILL. Erma Bombeck wrote a column telling of God in the act of creating mothers. She wrote that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one."
The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."
"Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there."
"She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word."
"That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?"
"No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower."
Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."
"Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade."
Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear."
"What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there."
Mothers are teachers. Mothers are disciplinarians. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Some mothers are gardeners & mowers of lawns. And most mothers understand that baking cookies is more important than washing windows, too.
Mothers are nurses & doctors & psychologists & counselors & chauffeurs & coaches. Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, & shapers of attitudes. Mothers are soft voices saying, "I love you." And mothers are a link to God, a child’s first impression of God’s love.
Mothers are all of these things & much, much more.
Heb 11:23-27
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
1. v23 Provided a place of safety.
She protected him from the evil elements. the thing that was out to destroy him.
2. v23 She saw that he was a proper child.
She saw value and had great expectations and committed herself to making him a leader. She no doubt prayed with him and taught him to fear god.
Shouldn’t we do the same?
Obviously she was training him while she was nurse to him and it paid off. Read v 24-27.
3. v 23 She wasn’t afraid to stand up against outside influences to protect him.
The things we use today to baby sit and entertain our kids are the very thingswe need to be protecting them from. e.g. TV, certain kinds of music, unsupervised internet activity, certain relationships.
By our example we mold a value system into them and if we are not righteous in every area of our lives, it is most likely that they won’t be either.
Prov 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Raising children is not easy.
ILL. James Dobson tells about a time he came home when his son, Ryan, was a small baby. It had been a terrible day for his wife. Ryan had been sick, & had cried all day long.
Once, as she was changing his diapers, the telephone rang & Shirley reached over to answer it before fastening up his diapers. Just then Ryan had an attack of diarrhea.
She cleaned up that mess & put him in clean, sweet-smelling clothes. Then she took him into the living room & fed him. As she was burping him he threw up all over himself, & her, & the couch, too.
Dobson writes, "When I came home I could smell the aroma of motherhood everywhere." Shirley cried out to him, "Was all of this in my contract?"
I read where a man gave his two-year-old son, Steve, his very first responsibility. He told Steve to watch Susan, his baby sister, while he stepped out of the room. He had only been gone a few moments when he heard a thump, & then Susan started crying.
He rushed back in to find that Susan had fallen from the couch & was stretched out on the floor. Meanwhile, Steve sat there, looking so innocent.
My friend said, "Steve, I told you to watch her." Steve answered, "I did." He watched her fall & he watched her cry. He did exactly what he was told to do.
Being a parent is not easy. Sometimes it is filled with joy & sometimes with sadness. Sometimes your children make you so proud you want to pop your buttons. At other times you can’t find enough handkerchiefs to dry your tears.
What good is it if our children are successful in making money, & driving fine automobiles, & living in good neighborhoods, but they don’t know God? What does it matter if they gain the whole world, but lose their souls?
We need to be concerned for our children. I hope that in the heart of every mother & father here this morning there is a burden to go to the throne of God & to pray for your children - to pray that they will be saved, saved from eternal damnation, & saved for eternal life. That is the place to begin.
ILL. Do you remember? Erma Bombeck had God saying as He was creating a mother, "I am close to creating something very much like myself."
I suppose that is why today is very special - because we recognize that mother’s love is probably the closest example we have to God’s love. It is a love that goes through the valley of the shadow of death to bring life into being. It is a love that sacrifices itself over & over again & would even dare to lay down its life for its own offspring.
ILL. The story is told - out of WW 2 & the holocaust that took the lives of millions of people - of Solomon Rosenberg & his family. It is a true story.
Solomon Rosenberg & his wife & their 2 sons & his mother & father were arrested & placed in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a labor camp, & the rules were simple. "As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live. When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated."
Rosenberg watched his mother & father marched off to their deaths, & he knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been a frail child.
Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of labor & searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another, & thank God for another day of life.
One day Rosenberg came back & didn’t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, & praying. He said, "Josh, tell me it’s not true." Joshua turned & said, "It is true, poppa. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came for him."
"But where is your mother?" asked Mr. Rosenberg. "Oh poppa," he said, "When they came for David, he was afraid & he cried. Momma said, `There is nothing to be afraid of, David,’ & she took his hand & went with him."
CONCL. That is motherhood. Mothers, this is your day. May God bless you in it. And I pray that if there is someone here who has never experienced the love of God that is so close to the love of a mother, that this will be your time of decision.
I pray that if you have felt that you have had to walk through that valley alone so many times, that you will recognize that there is a hand reaching out to you, saying, "There is nothing to be afraid of. I’ll go with you."
And I pray that you will recognize that that one has already gone through the valley of the shadow for you, & made it possible for you to live forever.
He extends His loving invitation in much the same way that a mother opens the doors of home & invites her children to come back again, He invites you, too. I pray that you will come as we stand & sing together.
Prov 31:10-18 (THE MESSAGE)
10 A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
11 Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
14 She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
15 She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
16 She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.
17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
18 She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
19 She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
20 She’s quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
21 She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
22 She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
23 Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
24 She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
28 Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
29 "Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all!"
30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-GOD.
31 Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!
Parts of this sermon may have been borrowed from sermons contributed to Sermon Central and adapted to fit the ministry to my congregation, thanks to you great pastors and preachers.
