CHILDREN AT PLAY
Proverbs 23: 19-23 (p 464) May 13, 2012
INTRODUCTION:
My Mom will be 86 years old on her birthday in July…She still leads 2 Bible studies at her church…she still wakes up and goes to sleep reading her Bible every day….she still meets with the minister of her church and others in leadership to pray for its staff and its direction.
She still mentors other young women in the faith, and she still takes care of much of the physical stuff at her house including the meals for herself and my brother…she still drives herself to all these things and much more.
She has a little trouble with her hearing…but she still is the most amazing and Godly woman I’ve ever met. She’s feisty, funny, and absolutely beautiful in Christ…even as she approaches the better part of 90 her heart is focused on the right things…her feet are still on the right path. I share one of my favorite stories at many of the funerals I do...and it’s this one…the first time I ever shared it was at my Mema’s funeral in 1982….my mom’s mom…my first funeral.
A LITTLE PARABLE FOR MOTHERS
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. “Is the way long?” she asked. And her guide said: “Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and life was good, and the young woman cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”
Then the night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, “Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.” And the Mother said, “This is better than the brightness of the day, for I have taught my children courage.”
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary but at all times she said to her children, “A little patience and we are there.” So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, “We could not have done it without you, Mother.” And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength.”
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth—clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: “Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.” And the children looked and saw above the clouds and everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, “This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God.”
And the days went on, and the weeks and months and the years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were strong and tall, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their mother; and when the way was rough they lifted her, for she was light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, golden gates flung wide.
And the Mother said: “I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.”
And the children said, “You will always walk with us mother, even when you have gone through the gates.” And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her, and they said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence.”
I know for many of you…Mother’s Day is difficult…for some it’s because children weren’t possible…for others, Mom is no longer physically present for you to honor, for others Mom wasn’t the perfect picture of Christ’s love in your home….
But on our journey in this life there are very few more important signs than “children at play”…and very few individuals that shape our journey more…helping us choose the right path than Mom.
The book of Proverbs is one of my favorites in the Bible…it’s a collection of wise sayings and good advice for daily living…there are 31 chapters which makes it perfect to read in a month, and journal…And much of the advice is written as if its spoken from a parent to a son or daughter…
It’s almost as if Solomon remembers sitting on his mom’s lap..or David’s and hearing…”Listen my son, be wise…keep your heart on the right path”
I share this with you on this day Mother’s day…because there is no one who directs the heart path of a child like a mother. You see
I WHERE OUR HEARTS GO OUR FEET ALWAYS FOLLOW.
The word for “Heart” is Hebrew…and its use here in Proverbs 23 is “Leb.” It literally means the “Seat of the intellect.”
It’s where your thoughts, emotions, feelings, all sit down and come together. When we’re young all those things are new, fresh and understood…
You can get old and not be wise…but you cannot have wisdom until you experience some life…
Herein lies the constant battle of parenthood…mothers look at their daughters and granddaughters and say…I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made…I don’t want your heart to go down the same path…
And daughters say…”you don’t understand….you’ve never felt this way…It’s different for us.”
Fathers and Grandfathers look at their sons and grandsons and say…leave the bottle alone, work hard…”Don’t join those who drink too much…Don’t hang around those who party constantly , don’t be lazy…work hard.”
Listen to me I gave you life…(My Dad used to say, “I brought you into the world and I can take you out!”)
Jesus knew about our hearts…He knew our hearts would always follow what we made most important…Listen
Matt 6: 19- 21 (p 685)
How do we teach our children not to treasure the same things this worlds treasures? 1) We show them where our hearts are…we model what we really treasure…good and bad.
[Tim Tebow is the son of missionaries to the Philippians…he has constantly shared his faith and his priorities, even while being at the forefront in the public eye because of football. On the night before Florida played for the national title Erin Andrews interviewed Tebow…she said ‘how do you deal with the most important game of your life and the pressure?”
And Tebow said, I think about what’s really important…that there are hurting people who don’t have hardly anything in the Philippines…they know what pressure is …In the grand scheme of things a game isn’t really all that important.]
I’m sure Tebows parents are proud of his athletic skills and accomplishments…but I bet all treasure on earth they’re more proud of his priorities! What he really treasured…He’s seen real treasure through them.
2) Secondly, we don’t let temporary things overshadow eternal things…choosing faith priorities over worldly ones is extremely rare, and difficult…
But I would ask…would you rather your child love mercy, walk humbly with your God…or arrogantly hop up a trophy proclaiming how great he is!? Would you rather your child “Buy the truth of God…or Satan’s bill of good?
One will set you free…the other will enslave you….one will let you walk a path of wisdom, discipline and understanding…Satan’s lies will leave you looking for more wine, more stuff, something to help me sleep…something that masquerades as peace…”Numbness”
Why does our text tell us not to despise our Mom when she is old…I’ll tell you why…and I know personally of this matter?
II EVENTIALLY THE ONE WHO CARED FOR US NEEDS OUR CARE.
James, the Lord’s half brother wrote “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and flawless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James is the book of proverbs in the New Testament. It’s not Christianity in theory…its Christianity in practice. Who will care for the orphans in this world…they have no parents…someone who will love them like their own…that can be expensive, that can break your heart…that takes time…but there is no better picture of what God does for us than someone who does this for orphans.
And Widows…no husband left…financially and socially in those days…husbands provided all the security let me tell you who the first lines of defense for widows are…anyone want to guess…(I believe it’s true for orphans as well.)
Their family…for widows…their children. Biblically speaking it’s not the government’s responsibility, it’s not a stranger’s duty.
It’s mine…and maybe yours.
Religion means nothing if you are not willing to care for those who first cared for you… In the apostle Paul’s discussion about widows to the church at Ephesus he writes….”If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (I Tim 5:8)
John was saying the exact same thing when he wrote 1 John 3:11-19 (p 863)
Will it always be easy?…not on your life…Alzheimer’s makes the Mom we used to know not the same person…Will there be sacrifices emotionally, physically, financially? absolutely…love always sacrifices.
It is my firm belief that if the church really took their mandate seriously…to not just love with words or tongue and we put into practice the love of Christ…not one widow would be left unloved and not one orphan would be left homeless…
Here’s what I’ll end with on this Mother’s Day.
[My Mom and my brother need me…I’m fortunate, I have an amazing sister and family…My first priority in Christ is to provide for Kari and my family…financially, spiritually, emotionally. If I do not treasure them and show them what should really be treasured…who will?
But Mom and Sam are my responsibility…Things have flip flopped…the one who cared for me now needs my care…and if my religion doesn’t flow into that responsibility….then it’s worthless. Will it get more difficult….yeah!!! It did with my Dad.
Real love isn’t always easy…or accomplished in a moment… I like Tim Tebow and from anything I’ve heard he’s the real deal but he’s not my hero…Linda Cornwell’s my hero…she cared for her mom for 16 years in her home.. And Carol, H.D.’s sister, who did the same for her mom and husband. Luann and Steve Johnson are my heroes…she gets calls at 3:00 a.m. in the morning for foster kids and they’ve adopted one of those children…Brain & Jennifer Clark are heroes…
[Wednesday evening was an emotional and powerful time for our small group upstairs as we heard about the Lavish Love of God… How He gave us life…He gave His only son..
And as our text ends it says “Listen to the one who gave you life…do not despise you Mother when she is old”
Basically…don’t forget these gifts…even when it’s difficult…]
[On most Fridays you’ll find me on my way into Lexington to mow grass…usually I shop at Rebecca Ruth’s chocolates on Versailles road to buy my Mom bourbon balls and Almonds.
…Do you ever like I’ll say after Mon’s gift…Man I wish I hadn’t spent so much on that candy. What a waste!
Let’s pray
