Mother’s teach on a daily basis…
RELIGION: "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet."
FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident."
IRONY: "Keep laughing and I’ll give you something to cry about."
STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished."
WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"
John 19:26, 27
Mary witnessed the crucifixion from the foot of the cross. Can you even imagine how she must have felt? Jesus turns to John and says, take care of her, and looks at his mother and says, let him stand in my place as your son. John lived a very long life, and I believe he took care of Mary until she went to heaven.
On the cross, bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world on His shoulders, yet He sees to it to make sure His mother is taken care of after He is gone! As God, Jesus is dealing w/ eternal matters, but as a man, He’s showing all of us today how important it is to take care and love our mothers!
LifePoint: You cannot be wrong with your mother and be right with God.
So, regardless of your age, you can love her in these 4 ways:
1. Love Her Verbally.
Men have the philosophy— “I don’t have to say, I love you, and you already know it. I have told you before; if I change my mind I’ll let you know!” A woman, a mother - needs to hear those words, “I Love you!”
Children need to hear it…and saying it makes you more of a man, not less! Children need to hear affectionate communication in the home and I believe it starts with the man!
And please - don’t wait until death to say “I love you!”
DEAR ABBY: “I enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor. Thirty-six days later, I was on my way to the Philippines. En route, the Philippines fell to the Japanese, and we were routed to Australia. Eleven days after we landed, I met the most beautiful girl in the world. On our first date, I told her I was going to marry her. I did, 18 months later, while on a 10-day R-and-R leave from New Guinea.
After more than 57 years of marriage and two children, my beloved "Mary" died five days before Christmas. Although we agreed that our ashes were to be scattered over the mountains, I found I could not part with hers.
While Mary was alive, she would frequently say, “You don’t know how much I love you.” I’d reply, “Likewise.” I never said, “I love you.” Now her ashes are on my dresser, where I tell her several times a day how much I love her, but it’s too late. Although I wrote poetry to her, I could not bring myself to say the three words I knew she wanted most to hear.
As my dearest was dying and we thought she was comatose, I told her, “There aren’t enough words to tell you how much I love you.” A few hours later, she whispered, “Not enough words” and died.
The reason I’m writing is to urge men to express their feelings while their loved ones are alive. I don’t know why, but many men are reluctant to express the depth of their feelings.”
2. Love Her Physically.
When was the last time you gave Mom a big hug with out her asking for it…or a BIG kiss on the cheek, or a neck rub, or just sat on the couch and held her for a change? Never forget – Mom was the first person who ever touched you…she wrapped you up in her womb for months, and her first priority was to hold you so carefully!
When you were little she may have said, “Give me some sugar”, and you’d pucker up and she’d accept your wet, sloppy kiss and even say thank you! You give her bear hugs so tight she didn’t have to hold on to you…you’d just cling to her as she walked around!
Remember - she changed your messy, smelly diapers and held the Kleenex for you to blow your nose! She deserves your touch and never stop it! It would mean more to her than flowers, candy, eating out, or a diamond necklace - well, let’s not go too far!
Just visit the nursing homes of our communities…they’re filled with untouched moms!
3. Love Her Patiently.
Galatians 5:22, 23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
In spite of all that moms do, we often become impatient with her don’t we? We get so used to her taking care of things - that we come to expect it and are outraged that the clothes are still dirty - the ironing is not done – or shout out, “Where’s my favorite ice cream?”
When she’s picking you up at school or at a friend’s house – instead of scolding her for being 10 minutes late - love her patiently. I think it’s unfair for you to be kinder or more patient with your friend’s mother than your own mother! Listen, if you treated your friends like you treat your mom, you wouldn’t have any friends, and if you treated their mom like you do yours, their mom wouldn’t let their kid have anything to do with you! Your mom deserves better…she’s not a rug to wipe every negative thought on!
“Focus On The Family” — shared a letter from an 80 year old woman.
“To all my children: I suppose my upcoming birthday started my thoughts along these lines...This is a good time to tell you that what I truly want are things I can never get enough of, yet they are free. I want the intangibles.
I would like for you to come and sit with me, and for you to be relaxed. We can talk, or we can be silent. I would just like for us to be together.
I need your patience when I don’t hear what you say the first time. I know how tiresome it is to always be repeating, but sometimes I must ask you to repeat. I need your patience when I think too much about the past, with my slowness and my set ways. I want you to be tolerant with what the years have done to me physically.
Please be understanding about my personal care habits. I spill things. I lose things. I get unduly excited when I try to figure out my bank statements. I can’t remember what time to take my medication, or if I took it already. I take too many naps. Sometimes sleep helps to pass the day.
Well, there you have it: Time, Patience, and Understanding. Those are priceless gifts that I want.
It’s a wonderful feeling to know His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me. I guess being 80 isn’t so bad after all! Love, Mom”
4. Love Her Honorably.
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” NIV
This is binding as long as your mother lives. By the way, it’s the only one of the 10 commandments which includes a built-in promise of blessing!
Find some way to love her with great honor today - O.K. kids?It is said when God created mothers, an angel appeared and said, “You sure are doing a lot of extra work on this one!”
The Lord replied, “Have you seen the specs on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; run on black coffee and leftovers; give a kiss that can cure anything - from a broken leg to a disappointing love affair; and six pair of hands.”
The angel shook his head and said, “Six pair of hands? No way!”
Then the Lord said, “But it’s not the hands that are causing me problems. It’s the 3 pair of eyes that mothers have to have. One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, “What are you kids doing in there?” - when she already knows. Another in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t, and of course the ones in front that look at a child when he goofs up and can say, “I understand and I love you”- without so much as uttering a word. Imagine, she will have to heal herself when she is sick...feed a family of six on 1 pound of hamburger...get a 9 year old to stand under a shower...and then she will have to think, reason and compromise all at the same time.”
Finally, the angel bent over and ran his finger across the tender cheek of the mother and said, “I see a leak, I think you’re putting too much in her.”
The Lord responded, “That’s not a leak, that’s a tear.” Then the angel asked, “Well, what’s it for?” The Lord replied, “It’s to go with the joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride she’ll experience all through her life.” Then the angel shouted though out the halls of heaven, “You’re a genius!”
God was really thinking when he created Moms!
