A MOTHER’S INFLUENCE
ILLUSTRATION:
WHAT MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME
My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet."
My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why."
My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident."
My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about."
My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished."
My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"
My mother taught me about ENVY: "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have a wonderful Mom like you do!"
THANKS, MOM!
Today, I’m going to share a message with you on “A Mother’s Influence” – On Father’s Day, I will be sharing a message on “A Father’s Influence”
Definition of Influence: The action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others: Her mother’s influence made her stay.
2 Tim. 1:1-5
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
[2] To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
[3] I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. [4] Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. [5] I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
One of the most enjoyable movies to watch, and one that we try to watch every Christmas is “It’s a Wonderful Life”
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George’s modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George’s Uncle Billy loses the business’s $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born. In a nightmarish vision in which the Potter-controlled town is sunk in debauchery and sin, those George loves are either dead, ruined, or miserable.
He realizes that he has touched many people in a positive way and that his life has truly been a wonderful one.
The Influence we have on others is powerful, and the influence a mother has on her children is even more powerful.
Today, we are going to look at a few of these points of Influence, and I trust that each Mother will be challenged to be all she can be in God. Isn’t it amazing how Motherhood just never stops!
The first point on Influence we are looking at today is:
I. THE INFLUENCE OF PROTECTION
A Mother will usually be the first to stand up to protect a child, and it seems that God has even built that natural instinct into her.
Jesus used the idea of a Hen protecting and gathering her chicks under her wings when He spoke of His love and longing for His people:
Matthew 23:37
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
A Godly mother will do her best to reach out and protect her children from the ravages of life, and the constant attacks of the enemy upon the souls of her children.
We see Mary, the mother of Jesus following Christ all the way to the cross, and not even giving one moment of thought to abandoning Him like many of the others had done. She knew that in her own strength she was powerless to take away the pain He was feeling physically at that moment, but if she could at least be there for Him in prayer and loving support, it could possibly protect Him from some of the emotional pain and separation He was feeling.
This protection extends from things Physical to things Spiritual –
Most Mothers I know would do everything possible to keep an enemy out of their house if it was broken into by a kidnapper. They would give their very life if they knew that it meant sheltering that child from the evil that could be inflicted upon their children.
I believe today that Mothers and Fathers should be equally as vigilant when it comes to the spiritual equality of Kidnapping enters the home through the television. Some parents carry channels that they shouldn’t have in the first place even as adults, but then carry it a step further by not placing proper blocks on the television to keep the mind numbing and soul robbing filth away from their children.
I always tend to sound a bit narrow-minded when talking about these things, but I believe the kidnapping of the soul through the things that enter the mind is much more dangerous than the kidnapping of the body.
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
When the word is used here, “Be afraid”, it doesn’t mean to cower in the corner with no hope, but it means to be on guard against, or remember that there is an enemy that is much more subtle than breaking through the door in the middle of the day. This enemy often breaks into the lives of our children and youth through the open door we leave on the television and internet.
Be the kind of Mom today that will stand in the door of the lives of your children, and do all you can to stand up to the attacks and constant barrage from the enemy, and say Devil, you may have come this far, but you’re going no further. You will NOT wrap your ugly hands around the souls of my children. I WILL stand up and protect my kids, and see the victory won in their lives.
One thing you will note in the verse we read in the beginning of this point was that the Lord “longed” to gather his children, but they “would not” –
Mom’s and Dad’s! You can do all you can to protect your children, but remember, there is always the “would not” factor! God will never rob your child of their will, so if your child is going astray today, get the condemnation out of your life, continue to pray and leave it up to God.
Not only are we looking at THE INFLUENCE OF PROTECTION, but we also see today:
II. THE INFLUENCE OF PARAMETERS
Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Honestly, we need to take the time to install GPS into the hearts of our Children to assist them as they go through this journey called life.
It seems like no matter how much older I get, and where I go, what I do, and things I see, this GPS is still a part of my life, and that is my GLOBAL PARENTING SYSTEM – It was built into me at a young age through the Parameters and Guidelines that were instilled into me by my parents.
The sheriff’s office in a Texas city once distributed a list of rules titled "How to Raise a Juvenile Delinquent in Your Own Family":
Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. This will insure his believing that the world owes him a living.
Pick up everything he leaves lying around. This will teach him he can always throw off responsibility on others.
Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. He is a "free spirit" and never wrong.
Finally, prepare yourself for a life of grief. You’re going to have it.
Parameter here means: LIMITS OR BOUNDARIES, GUIDELINES
A Child who grows up with a sense of boundary and guidelines will enjoy a great sense of belonging and protection. I am not talking about making the home a prison life, but providing some definite guidelines and rules.
The above illustration is so powerful as it tells how to raise a juvenile delinquent in your own family.
The basic idea is to give the child anything and everything they cry for, especially in the store when they start screaming for the toy or candy in the checkout aisle, because if you don’t give in, they are going to really make a scene, and we wouldn’t want a scene and have people think you’re a bad parent now would we?
Whether we realize it or not, a child is actually looking for parameters and feels a greater sense of security when they know exactly what the guidelines are.
Focus on the Family states the following:
[Children have] a great need to know where behavioral boundaries are and who has the courage to enforce them. Years ago, during the early days of the progressive-education movement, an enthusiastic theorist decided to take down the chain-link fence that surrounded the nursery-school yard. He thought the children would feel more freedom of movement without that visible barrier surrounding them. When the fence was removed, however, the boys and girls huddled near the center of the play yard. Not only did they not wander away, they didn’t even venture to the edge of the grounds. Clearly, there is a security for all of us in defined boundaries.
While we may sometimes look at parameters as something that may be confining, or containing, it is important to remember that parameters are also established to “keep out” intruders from the outside.
There is tremendous safety and protection inside of the boundaries set up by parents, especially when those boundaries are based upon the Word of God and His commands for a long and successful life.
Boundary of abstaining from sex until married, and then only with the person you are married to.
Boundary of marriage between a man and a woman
Boundary of “obey thy parents”
Boundary of Thou shalt not lie, steal, and all the other Commandments.
We could go on and on, but it’s important to realize today that the boundaries are there not so that we, or our children will be miserable, but so that they will experience the greatest freedom they could ever know inside of the fence or parameters of His Word.
Not only do we see the INFLUENCE OF PROTECTION and the INFLUENCE OF PARAMENTERS, but I also want to look at:
III. THE INFLUENCE OF PRAYER
Ephes. 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
We often hear of the value of a praying Mother, and yet it may be one of the most unappreciated and acknowledged areas of Motherhood. Usually, it’s because the prayers are not always out in the open, but are often within the inner recesses of her heart, and her very own prayer closet.
While prayer may not be seen, the results of it can surely be testified to.
I can honestly say that I doubt I would be doing what I’m doing today without of course, the call of God, but also the constant, consistent prayers of my Mother. I have told you before, but for those who haven’t been here, I’ll repeat it. There is one time of evening that I call home, and know that I probably should have waited just a bit longer to call, or called earlier, and it’s between 9:00 and 9:30. On many occasions, I’ve called around this time, and while she always had time to talk, I can tell by the sound of her voice that she has been praying, and those prayers included her children and grandchildren.
POWER OF A PRAYING MOTHER
The year was 1820 and Peter Richley was a grateful man. He had survived one of the strangest and most harrowing events known to mankind. The ship which he had been traveling on sank. He was rescued. By some strange twist of circumstance, however, this ship sank.
He was rescued again. But, this third ship sank likewise. He was rescued for a third time. Yet, his fourth ship of passage soon sank. And unbelievably, he was rescued for a fourth time, but this fifth ship sank as well.
It would have been laughable had it not been so serious. On the high seas, however, he floated with the serene confidence that somehow God did not want him to die. And sure enough, as if on cue, another ship came by and answered his call for help.
This ocean liner, The City of Leeds, was named after it’s British city of orgin. It was bound from England to Australia and traveled the same sea lane as Peter Richley’s downed ships. The crew of The City of Leeds hoisted Peter aboard. Dry clothing was provided to Peter. The ship’s doctor gave him a cursory exam, pronounced him fit, and then asked an unusual favor.
“There’s a lady on board who booked passage to Australia,” the doctor explained. “She’s looking for her son who disappeared years ago. She’s dying and she’s asking to see her son. She knows everybody on board and since you’re the only newcomer, would you pretend to be her son?”
Peter agreed. After all, his life had now been saved for the fifth time. He followed the doctor below deck and entered into a cabin. There on a small bed lay a frail woman with silvered-hair. She was obviously suffering from a very high fever. Deliriously, she was crying out. “Please God. Let me see my son before I die. I must see my son!”
The ship’s doctor gently pushed the young man toward the bed. Soon, however, Peter Richley began sobbing. For lying there on that bed was the reason that he couldn’t seem to die. Here was the lifeline that had kept him from drowning five times. For lying on that bed was none other than Sarah Richley—who had prayed for ten years to reconciled to her son, Peter.
The ship’s doctor stood in amazement as the young man fell down by the bed and embraced the sick woman. “I’m here mom! I’m here. It’s me!” Within days the fever had subsided and his mother awakened to find an answered prayer seated on the edge of her bed.
This story was told by western writer Louis L’Amour in an interview he gave. This story bears out the saying, “truth is stranger than fiction.” In researching the Louis L’Amour website there were additional references that bear out this story to be true.
I don’t know of a Mother, or most likely a Father here today that can say you have “over prayed” for your family, and probably the enemy has worked on you to the point you feel condemned about how little you have prayed,
Yet, we must allow room for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to implant within each one of us not only the desire, but the willingness to lift up our Children before the throne of Grace, and ask God to work His perfect will in their lives.
My desire for my children is not that they become great successes in the world’s eyes, but that in their life’s calling that they will exalt Christ as Lord and Savior in all they do and say.
I pray they will be ministers of the Gospel. Not necessarily in pulpits, unless God calls them to, but wherever they work, may they be ministers of the Gospel.
There will be no greater influence on the life of your child, than the INFLUENCE OF PRAYER.
Lastly today, we take a look at:
IV. THE INFLUENCE OF POSSIBILITIES
Philip. 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
From the moment that child is placed in Mother’s arms at birth, or even at adoption, her thoughts begin to move off into the future of the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead for their little one.
I believe that for the most part, the Mother is the greatest Cheerleader a child can often have. We see this reflected in the life of a pro baseball or football player very often.
Dad spends long hours in the back yard playing catch, taking the little guy to the batting cages, and instructing him how to hit a baseball by keeping his head in on the curveballs, keeping good balance and taking strong smooth swings. Dad sits in the stands and looks down and proudly thinks to himself “that’s my boy, or that’s my girl” – Then, when the big day comes and they finally make it on to the National TV stage, the very first thing out of the mouth of the grown child is: “Hi Mom!”
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to figure it out, but there is something about the love and support of a Mother that inspires that child to think he or she can do, or be just about anything they want to do or be.
Moms and Dads… we need to be people who are filling our children with realistic dreams of the future, and the possibilities that exist out there for them as they enter adulthood.
Too many children go through their childhood hearing remarks like:
“You’ll never amount to anything”
“Why can’t you be more like your brother, or sister”
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out”
Things are often said in jest at times, but it’s important to be as positive as possible with your children, and let them know that even though the entire world turns against them, that their greatest cheerleaders are going to be Mom and Dad!
My challenge today is to all of us who have an influence over the lives of others, especially parents, guardians and Grandparents who may have an influence over their children.
Thank God for Mothers who influence!
1. The Influence of Protection
2. The Influence of Parameters
3. The Influence of Prayer
4. The Influence of Possibilities
I ask each one here today. What kind of influence are you having over the lives of people around you?
Are you protecting them from not only physical attacks, but also the constant barrage of spiritual attacks upon their lives?
Are you providing parameters so that the child will feel a sense of security and safety?
Are you influencing your loved ones with prayer as you realize that we are fighting an unseen battle, and knowing that prayer is the key that unlocks heaven’s door?
Are you influencing your child with the idea that great things are possible, especially with a life dedicated to Christ?
