My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you… Gal 4:19 (NKJV)
Today is Mother’s Day – a day that we set aside to give honor to our mothers. Of course, this is the command of the Bible for every day of the year – most of us probably don’t do it enough. Our mothers deserve our respect, our tribute, and our love. It sounds a bit silly to say, but we wouldn’t be here without them. We exist only because they gave birth to us…
May I note that this is also a very painful time for many women? There are those that have not been able to give birth for one reason or another, and it weighs heavily on them. But I have noticed the heart of a mother – the spirit of a mother – in many such ladies. Most of you know my wife and I have not been able to bear children. This has, in the past, been a source of great sorrow to my wife in particular, because she has the heart of a mother.
I remember how earlier in our marriage, we watched a drama about a couple that was childless, and how they dealt with their grief. They were busy people, involved in many ways in their community, and the father in the drama one day said to his wife, “I guess we’re just parents to the world”. After seeing that drama, my wife and I began telling each other that occasionally. God has blessed us with the ability to serve an many ministry capacities over the years, in many areas of the world – and we have been privileged to impact many people for Christ.
Mostly because of my wife’s heart (I know it’s not because of me) – many of our friends have named us as the legal guardians of their children if anything happens to them. We often joke that our friends and family can never travel together, because if that plane went down, we would have about 18 kids!
Indeed, it is possible to fulfill the role of a mother, or father, without physically giving birth. We just finished a series on “Famous Last Words of a Dying Savior” – focusing on Jesus’ last words on the cross. We didn’t talk about them, but did you know that some of his final words involved the beginning of just such a “motherly” relationship? (not that of an actual mother/son)
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27 (NIV)
I would like to talk to you about what it takes to be a mother… Literally, of course, it involves giving birth. But I want to go beyond the scope of physical childbirth, and challenge all of you today to experience the joy of motherhood. The joy of giving birth to something…
[Jokingly] I started to title this message today “I’m Expecting…”. I actually can stick my stomach out farther than most pregnant women, so I was even going to give you a visual! My wife didn’t like the idea much though…
But in our text today, Paul said that he was going through the “pains of childbirth” for something to happen in the church at Galatia. And indeed there is some passion – some dream – some great purpose deep within all of us. There is something that each of us is supposed to birth into our world. There is a calling on your life that nobody else can fulfill.
There are people that will say, in years to come – I’m only here today because of him (or her).
While we give honor to our mothers today – I want to encourage all of you to give birth to something!
What does it take to give birth to anything? I invite you this morning to ASK YOUR MOTHER…
- it involves RELATIONSHIP
The whole process of being a mother – of giving birth – is about relationship. It happens because of relationship, and its result is more relationship. This may sound rather obvious, but the way God made us – we cannot give birth by ourselves.
If you want to accomplish anything great in the Kingdom of God, or if you just want to accomplish anything great in life – you simply can’t do it by yourself.
It was not by mistake that God placed these two guidelines for living at the top of the list of guidelines to live by.
29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)
First of all, giving birth to a dream must involve a relationship with the source of that dream. There must be a relationship with the Father. God is the one that planted the seed of that dream within your heart. You’re pregnant with something today. I want to encourage you NOT to be a "single mom". Get your relationship with the Father fixed – and the result will be a much healthier family – a much healthier dream…
But we also must consider what makes men (and women) great. True greatness comes not from contributing to their own lives, but from contributing to the lives of others. Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors, because true greatness comes from serving others… You see, giving birth requires a commitment to an ongoing relationship with a family.
26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, Matt 20:26 (NIV)
You might ask – what will happen if I dedicate my life to great relationships? I invite you to – just ask your mother…
- it requires SELFLESSNESS
A teacher asked a boy this question: Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you--your parents and five children. What part of the pie would you get? A sixth, replied the boy. I’m afraid you don’t know your fractions, said the teacher, Remember, there are seven of you. Yes, teacher, said the boy, but you don’t know my mother. Mother would say she didn’t want any pie.
This is one of the great traits of mothers. The heart of a mother is a heart to give themselves to something or someone else.
The Lord placed this heart in all of us. It is indeed his heart. It is what brought him all the way from glory to earth. It is what took him to the cross – and even to hell and back, literally.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (KJV)
I want to ask you today… Who are you living for? If you want to give birth to something, it will involve self-sacrifice. You’re going to have to live for something else.
You may ask – will that be fulfilling? I have a lot of deep-rooted needs in my life. If I don’t take care of them, who will? Will I be satisfied if I give myself away? Just ask your mother…
- it requires PERSERVERANCE
You might have noticed that childbirth involves pregnancy. At some naïve point in our life we might have thought that a stork flew by, and presto – a baby. But then we grew up, and found out that – you gotta carry that baby around for a while before you actually get to enjoy it!
Everyone handles this period differently. I’ve always found a lot of humor in the way some expectant mothers handle their pregnancy. I’ve known a lot of young ladies that surprisingly, began waddling the day after the little white strip turned blue! Then there are others that you can barely tell they are pregnant.
But the fact of the matter is – you’re waiting… And you commit to keep waiting. You don’t try to take shortcuts, because you know that will be devastating. If that baby is born before it’s ready, it won’t be healthy. So – you just hang in there.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. Anything worth having is worth waiting for. If there is anything that childbirth teach us – it’s that GOOD THINGS COME FROM LONG PROCESSES in our lives…
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Gal 6:9 (NKJV)
I want to thank some of you that work so hard around here… I know that some of you just want it to happen. Some of you have stuck with this church through some very difficult times.
Sometimes it seems like you work so hard, and nothing is happening. But let me encourage you today… Just keep doing the right thing. I wish I could give you a shortcut, but the best things in life don’t come that way. You just have to keep going. Because birth is a process. And giving birth to something requires perserverance. But the Lord promises us – we will reap if we faint not!
Will it be worth the wait? Ask your mother!!
- you can expect some PAIN
Well, this wasn’t always a part of the childbirth process – but became a part because of sin. We might as well face the facts here, folks – we don’t live in a perfect world. It is a world where we will, without a doubt, experience pain.
And the truth of the matter is this – the first mention of pain in the Bible is in the context of giving birth. So – regardless of what you’re trying to bring forth – it’s going to hurt some.
I can only imagine – but would rather not – the kind of pain that a woman goes through when giving birth. Of course it varies from person to person, from baby to baby. And there are all kinds of things that we can do now to make it a little easier. We can do c-sections in some cases. We can do epidurals. But the wounds of surgery have to heal. And the pain medicine wears off… And regardless of how that birth takes place, most mothers would agree that is certainly was not a walk in the park!
Let me be a little crass, and say it this way… The BIGGER THE BABY, THE MORE IT’S GONNA HURT!
Some of you in this room are destined for greatness. Only eternity will tell the lasting impact of your lives. How do I know this? Because you have, or even are now, experiencing some great pain.
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
You might ask – why in the world would I even start this journey if I knew I was going to get hurt? Why would I want to give birth to an idea? Why would I want to give birth to a soul? Why would I want to knowing subject myself to pain??? Once again… ask your mother!
- you will experience REWARD
…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5 (KJV)
This is the beautiful thing… A birth requires
- focus on relationship
- selflessness
- perseverence
- pain
But just ask your mother… Is it worth it? Doubtless she will answer – yes! Why? Because YOU’RE HERE!
Ask Jesus… Was his selfless life, his endurance, his pain, worth it? He will say Yes! Why? Because YOU’RE HERE!
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1-2 (NIV)
I came to encourage all of you today… At the same time we are honoring our mothers, I want to ask you – what is it that God has called you to give birth to? I have to tell you – it’s not going to be easy. But is it going to be worth it?
- Will it be worth the selfless sacrifice?
- Will it be worth the patient endurance?
- Will it be worth the pain?
Absolutely!
I believe some of you are sensing, even now, the call of God upon you... He’s saying step out, trust me. I have a plan for you… There is something that I am going to bring into my world through you. And right now – the prospect of what you might have to go through is terrifying to you… You’re not sure if you can handle it. You’re not sure if you can succeed. You’re not sure if you have what it takes.
But you do have what it takes, because of your relationship with the Father. And it will be worth it all – just ask your mother.
I want to pray for you today… That God will complete the process that he started in you and you will bring something great into the world…
