“Lessons Learned from Mom”
May 14, 2017
Matthew 20:20-21
“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
“What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
A mother is a special person. The bond between a mother and her child is a wonderful thing. The first glimpse a baby has of God is in the face of his mother. As that mother gazes with that glowing face of love on her baby that baby is comforted and strengthened by it. Have you ever seen that special heavenly look a mother gives her child? What love is conveyed!
That relationship ebbs and flows through life from being totally dependent to wanting to cut the apron strings; from love personified to the meanest mom in the world. And because moms are human there is no standard. A mom can be godly and loving or neglectful and hurtful. Some of you may have had mothers that were far from perfect. I had one that was very much like Zebedee’s wife. She was a Christian – and not just in word – she lived it. And I learned some valuable lessons from her that I want to share with you.
First of all, notice that James and John’s mom aspired for greatness for them. They were disciples of the Messiah; they were chosen ones of the Miracle Worker; they were honored to be followers of the King of kings. But that wasn’t enough for their mom. She came to Jesus and asked for a very special favor. She asked for the best position in the coming Kingdom for them. Can you see her kneeling before Jesus, looking up into His kind face, and sweetly asking,
“Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
I love that! She didn’t know what she was asking. The sons didn’t know what she was asking for. But she wanted the very best for her Children. That reminds me of some of you. I see you aspiring for greatness for your children. They may not see it. They may see you as a task master pushing them to do that homework; do those chores; get that job done. They don’t realize that if they are going to be great they will have to learn self-control and responsibility and doing what they should instead of doing what they want.
I see a mother’s love. They may never appreciate the sacrifices you make to get them to school or to the game or to church. But you are building them up; equipping them for greatness. Sometimes I see moms wrongly say and do things – maybe are too critical – but I see that it is often motivated by love. Sometimes it is just wrongly expressed. Try to see past the act, kids, and see the love behind it.
This New Testament mother went to Jesus and asked Jesus for a blessing on her children. I remember my mother doing the same. I caught her a time or two interceding for me and my siblings in prayer. It warmed my heart to hear my mother speaking my name to God. It blessed me to see her kneeling before God and asking Him to bless me – and of course my siblings.
I want to encourage you mothers to aspire for greatness for your children. Bring them to Jesus often. I believe my mother’s prayers kept me safe, saved my life, and even kept me out of jail a couple of times. You can ask me about that later! She was very inspirational in me finding Jesus.
Another thing my mother taught me was that I was loved. The mother of Zebedee’s sons must have loved her sons to have humbled herself like she did. She took a chance for her kids. Why? Love. She loved those boys. My mom was good at expressing her love for each one of us eight kids in my family. We all felt loved. I remember, like it was an epiphany, that day my mom asked me what was wrong and I said, “No one likes me!” She pulled me to her lap in the rocking chair and laid my head on her shoulder and said, “I like you!” I must have been 12 or 13 and almost as tall as she, but for a few minutes rocking on her lap I knew I was loved.
When I was 18, as soon as I graduated from high school I left home to go live with my uncle Duane. He got me a job with Boeing that summer. So from June to December I was gone – doing my own thing. But the first part of December I got laid off and in a driving rain in Missouri that turned to snow in Minnesota, I arrived home in a foot or two of freshly fallen snow. I will never forget how I saw the screen door slam open and my Mom come running out in her robe and pajamas, running through the snow in her bare feet and crying in joy, as she gave me a bear hug. Do you think I felt loved? You bet I did.
Moms, make your kids feel loved from time to time. The Father’s love is all around us. When I walk through the woods or smell a flower, gaze at a picturesque scene, or see an old rugged cross, I feel loved. But I am so grateful that God first revealed his love for me through my mom.
I also learned to love Jesus through my Mom. There was no doubt of her love for her Savior. She spoke to Him daily. She obeyed Him completely. She worshipped Him honestly, enthusiastically and regularly. If the doors of the church were opened – she was there and so was her brood. She obeyed the Great Command.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Religion was not just a word – she lived it. Her relationship with Jesus was not just on Sunday – she displayed it all week long. Once some immature Christians criticized her for ‘trying to work her way to heaven’ but her good works was not out of fear but out of love. We, who lived with her and knew her, understood that.
When I had lost my way and was in a death spiral – it was Mom who pointed me to Jesus. She pointed me to God’s Word. She told me my purpose would be found in there. It was. Moms – I hope your children learn to love Jesus through your faith. I hope they catch your love through attending church and reading the Bible and watching you live in a fallen world. Love for Jesus is more often caught rather than taught.
Another thing I learned from my Mom was to pray. I told you how she prayed for me. I remember her praying for each of us. I remember her praying for the dog. I remember her praying for Dad. And I remember that day Dad went to church with us and publicly gave his life to Christ. Prayer moves the hand of God. Mom had a prayer closet (actually it was her bedroom) where she regularly prayed. I remember her trying to get us to pray and have family devotions. We were reluctant participants but all of us were touched by her efforts. If this was so important to Mom it must be important. We caught her passion and zeal for the Lord. Most of us learned to become prayer warriors because of it.
Another thing I learned from Mom was to be a witness. I learned if you love Jesus you will share Him. That’s what Andrew did.
“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” John 1:40-42
In District Assembly this year the emphasis was ‘witness’. More specifically – “I witness”. We were encouraged to witness to what we were an eye witness to. I learned that truth at my mother’s knee long ago. She wasn’t sensational about it. She wasn’t pushy about it. She just lived it. She ate, breathed and lived Jesus. All who spoke with her caught that pretty quickly. When my brother and I were in Bible College we often took to the streets to witness. Truth be told, it was my brother who had the passion and took me along for the ride. I remember going to the City Park and sharing Christ with people. We went to bars and witnessed to drunks and shared how Jesus saved us from a life of drinking and sin. Later I would go from door to door and hand out tracts and invitations and talk to people about Jesus.
It was pretty interesting and I value those experiences but I think their effectiveness paled in comparison to my Mothers witness of Christ lived out in daily life.
I was blessed with a wonderful mom – as were some of you. Other’s may not have been. But everything good I saw in my Mom was because of Jesus. Just before she died she told me of a time she was struggling with God. He was asking her to give everything to her. She liked to dance. She liked to have a drink or two and smoke her cigarettes. She said she was ‘wild ricing’ with her mother and as her mother picked the rice and she poled – she prayed. She fought with God over control of her life. But the moment came when she surrendered and the tears flowed. Grandma saw the tears and asked if everything was alright. It WAS! It was ALL right! She never went to another dance, took a drink of alcohol or a puff of tobacco. Jesus had control of her life.
I learned to give Jesus control of my life, too. It was natural for me to toss my cigarettes and alcohol and worldly living when I came to Him – and I can testify that it’s been almost 5 decades and God’s grace is still good. The victory is still won.
Mom, what legacy are you leaving her children? Dads, how about you? The older I get the more I realize how important some of those little moments are. You have the greatest responsibility in the world. Don’t be too busy for them. You have one of the greatest honors in the world. And we honor you today. Someone said, “Each day is a gift from God – that’s why we call it the present”. Accept each day as a gift. Make the most of it. My Mother went home to be with Jesus a number of years ago – but her influence is still being felt today. May it be so with you.
