(adapted from a message by Dave Stone)
SPECIAL DAY: MOTHERS’ DAY
TEXT; PROVERBS 31:10-31
TITLE: “DISCOVER THE MEANING OF MOTHERHOOD: It’s Not Just a Job. It’s an Adventure!”
OPEN: A. There was an AP news story written by Joy Zeman this past Friday, May 9. It was about a
woman in Tontitown, Arkansas who is pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on
New Year’s Day 2009, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two
sets of twins. Duggar has been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life.
Mom said while laughing, “We’ve had three in January, three in December. Those two months
are a busy time for us.” The Duggars’ oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine
months old. The family lives in their northwest Arkansas town in a 7,000 –square-foot-home. All
the children — whose names start with the letter J — are home-schooled.
My wife and daughter watched a series on the Discovery Health Channel about this family and
how they built that huge house. The article mentions that Discovery Health filming another series
about this family
Dad Jim Bob Duggar said, “The success in a family is first off, a love for God, and secondly,
treating each other like you want to be treated. Our goal is for each one of our children to be best
friends, and everybody working together to serve each other makes that happen.”
The other Duggar children, in between Joshua and Jennifer, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill,
16; Jessa, 15; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 10; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 7;
James, 6; Justin, 5; Jackson, 3; and Johannah, 2.
B. Today we pay honor to all those ladies who know that being a mom is an adventure
1. God has blessed them with children
2. What an awesome responsibility!
C. Prov. 31:10-31 – “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her
husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all
the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the
merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for
her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings
she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She
sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the
distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her
hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed
in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is
respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen
garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and
dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on
her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do
noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman
who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring
her praise at the city gate.”
1. Peggy Wehmyer, Religion Correspondent for ABC said, “A positive mom is the most powerful
weapon against the culture of despair and cynicism that assaults our children.”
2. Solomon’s description here in Proverbs 31 is all-encompassing.
--It’s a tall order and a daunting task
a. In Marsha Drake’s book, The Proverbs 32 Lady and other Impossible Dreams, she gives a
spiritual journal, a record of her efforts to become the virtuous woman, and how she failed
miserably until she let God take control.
b. She writes in the Preface: “Proverbs 31 has been both a marvelous model for the Christian
wife and the cause of more guilt for her than anything else. When those verses become the
pattern for a do-it yourself project, frustration, guilt, and disillusionment can only result.
When seen as what the power of the Holy Spirit can accomplish, those same verses are
winsome and hope-filled.”
D. For some of us, this is a difficult day
1. You’ve prayed for a child but God’s answer has seemed to be “No.”
2. Maybe you’ve experienced the pain of losing your mom or maybe you’re a mom who has lost a
child, and the memories are all consuming on a day like today
3. Maybe years ago you chose to end a pregnancy and Satan haunts you over something that you’ve
repented of and that God has forgiven
4. Maybe you’re just a mom that feels inadequate while others are presently feeling incredible
fulfillment from being a mom
5. Maybe you’re a single mom struggling to work a job, go to school, and raise your children
--You feel exhausted and frazzled
E. Today, I want to encourage all of you moms and also remind the rest of us of how important moms
are to our families and our society
--Solomon certainly mentions some important things in our scripture passage this morning
I. SHE IS VALUABLE
A. I’m not sure that every mother always feels valued and treasured by society, by their husbands, or their
children
--And yet, God’s word seems to hold mother in very high esteem because it’s such a critical responsibility
1. A young mother from Louisville, KY wrote about the challenge she faces day-to-day:
“One of the hardest things about being a full-time mom is feeling fulfilled in my work. I have a 5-
year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 5-month-old. In a job outside the home, you get raises, paychecks,
compliments, promotions, and adult conversation. At the end of a long day, I get another dirty diaper.”
a. This mom wasn’t bitter; just honest
b. The work often seems endless
2. However, this Proverbs 32 mom refuses to throw in the towel
--If God has blessed you with children, you’re fortunate and honored
a. Having children makes you valuable
--Pouring your life into your children is a worthy calling
b. The Washington Times reported a few years ago about a survey taken by the nonpartisan public
policy group Public Agenda . It revealed that 80 percent of mothers between the ages of 18 and 29
would rather stay home and take care of children than work full time.
B. The virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 was a working mom, and she may have worked outside of her home,
but her value came from the fact that mothering was more important than money and material possessions
1. Many single moms would give anything in the world to be able to stay home with their children, but
it’s just not possible economically.
--However, when a mom is able to make that decision to dedicate her life to the home front, we ought
to celebrate her as a champion of family values
a. Susie Case was a Harvard business School graduate who worked on Wall Street as an Equity Analyst
who followed computer stocks. She left her job to start a family saying that her relationship with
God and her family had to take a priority
b. She admitted, “It’s hard for me to go to Harvard reunions because I worry that [my classmates]
think I squandered the exceptional opportunity I had.”
c. But then she said this: “However, the sacrifices are worth it because relationships without regret are
my best investment.”
d. Moms who take good care of their families, whether they work outside the home or not, ought to be
celebrated for the nurturing environment they provide
2. Some of you may have heard of Tony Campolo. Tony has spent much of his life traveling around
the world speaking at Christian gatherings. His wife, Peggy, stayed at home and chose to pour her life
into raising their two children.
Years ag when Peggy Campolo would occasionally travel with Tony, she found herself in
conversations with some of the most powerful, impressive, sophisticated woman in the world.
Sometime she would feel intimidated and question her own self worth.
Tony said to her, “Honey, why don’t you think of something you can say when you meet people, so
they’ll know that you value what you’re doing and you think it’s important?”
Not long after, they were at a party. A woman said to Peggy in a rather condescending tone, “And,
dear, what is it that you do?” Tony said he heard his wife give this answer: “I am nurturing two
Homo Sapiens into the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might
become instruments of social transformation to turn the earth into the eschatological utopia which God
has envisioned from the beginning. What do you do?”
The woman replied, “I’m just a physicist. I’m just trying to discover a cure for cancer.”
3. Helen M. Young wrote in her book Children Won’t Wait: “There will be time when there will be no
slamming of doors, no toys on the stairs, no childhood quarrels, no fingerprints on the wallpaper. Then
may I look back with joy and not regret. God, give me wisdom to see that today is my day with my
children. That there is no unimportant moment in their lives. May I know that no other career is so
precious, no other wok so rewarding, no other task so urgent. May I not defer it nor neglect it, but by
the Spirit accept it gladly, joyously, and by Thy grace realize that the time is short and my time is now,
for children won’t wait.”
II. SHE IS DILIGENT
--Solomon gives three expressions of her diligence
A. She is a an eager worker
--vss. 13-15 – “She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and
portions for her servant girls.”
1. What a task to day-in and day-out plan the menus for the family meals
a. Calvin Trillin: “The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served
nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”
b. Bob Russell said that husband need to occasionally look at the wives and sayd those 3 magic
words: “Let’s eat out!”
2. Moms are self-starters.
--They have to be in order to juggle all the various responsibilities which flow in their direction
B. She is a risk-taker
--vs. 16 – “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.”
1. God had blessed this woman with business savvy that allowed her to see the opportunity in different
situations
2. The important principle is that she was a good steward of what she had and was wise about how to
invest what God had blessed her with
3. But it goes even beyond that
a. It’s a creativity that allows a mom to stretch a child to reach his potential
b. It’s the creativity to know that fine line between when that child needs a spank on the bottom or a
pat on the back or a warm hug
c. The virtuous woman weighs decisions for herself and her family
d. And when her children are older, that creativity may reveal itself in knowing when to stay out of
the picture and not interfere
1). When to allow them the space to create their own holiday traditions rather than “guilt-tripping”
then into your unfair expectations.
2). When to speak and lovingly challenge her children
C. She is a vigorous worker
1. Vss. 17-19 – “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her
trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and
grasps the spindle with her fingers.”
2. Vs. 27 – “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
3. This woman is not sitting on her couch watching soap operas and eating bon-bons all day
--She works hard, and her vigorous work is a testimony to her diligence
4. Mothers do so many unseen tasks that are taken for granted
III. SHE IS COMPASSIONATE
A. Dave Stone tells the following story:
Growing up, my brother and I could be cutting with our words an sometimes, if we’d drive past
someone on the streets or a homeless person, we would start to make jokes about their clothing. One
day our mom overheard us and she told us the story of Dwight L. Moody who saw a drunk along a
street one day, and realized that his upbringing had been different, he could have been that person. So
Moody would say, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
My mom said, “Boys, do you realize how fortunate you all are to be born into a family where your
dad is able to make a living? And where your parents take you to church, and you live in a nice home
and your parents love the Lord?”
Through time, if a judgmental spirit began to raise its head, and we began to make fun of someone,
she’d just say that phrase: “There but for the grace of God…”
And she didn’t have to finish it. While we were cutting, she was caring. I shudder to think where
I’d be if I had been born into a setting where Christ wasn’t honored.”
B. Vs. 20 – “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hand to the needy.”
1. Moms, are you taking the time to be on the lookout for teachable moments?
--Model and encourage compassion for your children
2. At holidays, my mom was famous for inviting people to out house who really had no place to go.
I grew up never really knowing who was coming to our for dinner and fellowship until they got there
Intuitively, my mom sensed that people were left out by others and she wanted them to have some
place to be, where maybe they could feel like they were with family.
IV. SHE IS RESPECTED
A. vs. 25 – “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
1. I love this verse because it couples dignity with a sense of humor.
a. That statement describes so many godly mothers and grandmothers.
b. They carry themselves with modesty and confidence and a quiet dignity, but they never lose their
ability to laugh at themselves and be genuine and real
2. One thing I’m thankful for is that I had a mom with a sense of humor.
a. One of her best gifts to her children was the ability to find humor in all kinds of situations
b. My mom could walk into a funeral home visitation and have the bereaved family laughing in a
very short time because she would always remind them about a funny situation that their family
and ours had shared together.
B. Solomon also says that the respect t his woman earns is also the result of the word she says – she shares
words of wisdom
--Look at vs. 26 – “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”
1. Have you ever been in a grocery store, or at a restaurant or some other public place and overheard
some of the brutal comments that some moms make about their children?
2. Moms, your words can encourage or they can decimate the self-image of a child
--Choose them carefully
a. The most vicious weapon we have is our tongue – unkind words, criticism, and gossip
b. Solomon says in Proverbs 12:18 – “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise
brings healing.”
3. Moms are respected because of faithful instruction
--How many here this morning can remember things your mom made you do while growing that you
didn’t like but have been thankful to her for all of your life for making you do them?
V. SHE IS APPRECIATED
A. Have you heard about the next Survivor show they have planned?
Six men will be dropped off on an island with 1 van and 4 kids for 6 weeks. Each kid plays two
sports and takes music or dance lessons. There’ no access to fast food. Each man must take care of his 4
kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, compete science projects, cook, and do
laundry.
The men have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. But there’s only
one TV between them and no remote control.
They must be able to get a four-year-old to eat green beans. They also have to shave their legs and
wear makeup on a daily basis.
They’ll be judged on how well they can make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and
one Magic Marker ®. The winner gets voted off of the island and gets his old job back.
1. With our moms, we don’t notice all that they juggle and accomplish, until one day, when something
goes wrong
--A shirt doesn’t get ironed or she forgets to send the lunch money into the school
2. Our moms do a lot to keep the family functioning on an even keel
B. Solomon says that mothers are to be appreciated
--Vs. 38 – “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises
1. Allow me to be a little free with the text
a. Notice is says, “Her children arise and call her blessed.”
--They arise and then they bless her
b. Do you think this means, “Arise up off the couch, and go bless her in the kitchen?”
c, How about, “Get up out of bed and don’t make her have to drag you out!”
d. Or maybe “Stand up on your feet and take care of some chores?”
2. Her husband also appreciates her
--Here’s what the original Hebrew says, “Arise and then bless her.”
a. Notice the flow from vs. 28 to vs. 29
--Vs. 28 says her husband praises her
b. Then vs. 29 gives what he says, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
--Loosely translated he’s saying, “You go girl! I don’t know how you do it but you do it well.
You’re the best!”
C. Robert Welch wrote an article in Focus on the Family magazine several years ago entitled, “Holding
Down the Fort.” He told about the time his wife took a short-term mission trip to Haiti, and he learned to
appreciate her in a whole new way. He had his own survivor experience. He wrote:
“Let’s humble ourselves, dads, by admitting we’re spoiled rotten. We get the glory, our wives get the
grit. It starts early, with the birth of the child. The woman has just spent nine moths throwing up,
gaining, weight, and trying to get out of the car without accidentally honking the horn.”
“Meanwhile, the man’s challenge has been trying to sneak a pillow into the childbirth lasses to take a
nap. But when the child is born, guess who’s on the phone soaking up the congratulations. ‘Piece of
cake,’ he tells his friends.”
“The gap widens as Junior grows. We fathers sit in our offices sneaking a peek at baby pictures.
Meanwhile, mom is home, cutting Silly Putty out of the little tyke’s hair while simultaneously lifting the
refrigerator to retrieve an overdue library book.”
After his two weeks as Mr. Mom, Welch wrote: “I pressed three shirts before realizing that the iron
was not plugged in. I let so much toothpaste build up in the kids’ sink that I could’ve chipped it off and
had a week’s supply of breath mints!”
Then after a host of other similar calamities, he offered this advice: “Sometimes we men need to
walk a mile in our wives’ Reeboks to appreciate everything they do, discover everything we don’t do,
and realize how we can be better husbands and fathers.”
He concluded by saying, “If we father stand proudly at the helm, it’s our wive who keep the ship
afloat.”
VI. SHE IS GODLY
--vss. 29-31 – “ ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty
is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and
let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
A. The godly woman keeps life and its schedules in their proper perspective
1. Her beauty comes from within
2. 1 Pet. 3: 3-4 – “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the
wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
--Ladies, that verse doesn’t mean that you can’t wear jewelry or braid your hair. It means that
your beauty shouldn’t be just skin deep. Your real beauty should shine out from the inside not
just be limited to the outside.
B. God’s Little Devotional Book for Moms:
During a Vacation Bible School closing program, the children were lined up in front ready to show
their parents what they had learned throughout the week. The smaller children sang their songs. All
went pretty well until they came to one little girl.
She was supposed to recite a scripture that she’d memorized for the occasion. When she got in front
of the crowd however, the sight of all those people caused her to have a bout of stage fright. She
completely forgot her verse and was unable to utter a single word.
Seeing her mother on the front row, the little girl looked at her for help. Her mother leaned forward
and whispered the opening phrase of the verse: “I am the Light of the World…” The little girl’s face
lit up and she smiled with confidence, as she boldly announced, “My mother is the light of the world!”
1. Of course everyone in the audience had a huge smile on their face. And yet, they had reflect on an
important truth: A mother is the LIGHT of her child’s world.
2. So moms remember that – you are the light of your children’s world
--Be careful to let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and praise your
father in heaven.
CLOSE: A. Motherhood is no easy task!
1. Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby
--Somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, ’normal’ is history.
2 Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct
--Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
3. Somebody said being a mother is boring
--Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.
3. Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out good”
--Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
4. Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices
--Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through
the neighbor’s kitchen window.
5. Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother
--Somebody never helped a fourth grader with their math.
6. Somebody said you can’t love the second child as much as you love the first
--Somebody doesn’t have two children.
7. Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in books
--Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or M&Ms in her ears.
8. Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery
--Somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of Kindergarten or on a
plane headed for military boot camp.
9. Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back
--Somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
10. Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married
--Somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son-in-law or daughter-in-law to a
mother’s heartstrings.
11. Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home
--Somebody never had grandchildren.
12. Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so You don’t need to tell her
--Somebody isn’t a mother.
B. Angela Thomas Guffey went through some struggles as a mom and wrote:
“Mothering requires everything. But eventually, everything given plus little replenished
equals desperately empty. I held the empty cup of my soul out to my husband and begged him to
fill it. I held out my empty cup to a bigger house and minivan. But only Jesus could fill my soul.
I tried my children and my girlfriends, but again, they could not fill the place designed by God for
Himself.”
“I had been mistaken. I thought that the goal of motherhood was to be a supermom. But in
fact, the goal of mothering is to be a woman of God to your children. A woman of God
intimately connected to her Savior. A woman of God can love and give from the overflowing
cup God has filled.”
1. Any one of us who try to do everything from our own strength, our own force of will, or our
own intelligence and wisdom will certainly end up with an empty cup
2. All of us certainly need what God offers through his Son, Jesus Christ
--Salvation full and free which gives us abundant life here eternal life in heaven
3. Do you recognize your need for Jesus today?
