THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A MOTHER'S LOVE (Mother's Day 2020 version)
Texts: Isaiah 66:13, Luke 13:34, Proverbs 31: 26 & 28
Isaiah 66:13? As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem (NRSV).
Luke 13:34? O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (NRSV).
Proverbs 31:26, 28: She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. …. Her children rise up and call her blessed. (NRSV).
A young, awkward boy grew up in southern California, plagued by a learning disability that in later years would be called dyslexia. But with his mother’s encouragement and admonishment, he became a strong and capable leader. Years later he was commanding thousands of your Americans in war. When General George S. Patton (aka old “Blood and Guts”) found himself in North Africa grappling with the German Army, His thoughts on the battlefield were often of his mother.
It was his mother, he often told colleagues, who ingrained in him the leadership qualities that he was to become famous for. His only regret was that he never expressed sufficient appreciation to her. “Darling Mama,” he began in a letter he wrote after her death, in words that pained him, “You are still very near. I never showed you in life the love I really felt nor my admiration for your courage.” (Quoted from http://www.familyfirst.net/pressroom/historicalmoms.htm). In the words of Paul Harvey, "… the ally, the constant companion who read to him what he could not read … who first taught our nation's greatest cavalryman how to ride. … The friend of his Youth who recognized the first beginnings of greatness in a small boy---and prepared him for a world of men-----as a woman. Mrs. George Patton, Senior. His mother." (Paul Harvey. The Rest Of The Story. New York: Bantam Books, 1997, p. 47). When Patton speaks of his mother's courage, it was as if he were expressing his gratitude beyond what he felt that any words could ever have conveyed. There was no doubt that Patton found comfort and motivation in his mother's courage. She nurtured him in body, mind and spirit in his youth. God's comforting nurture is a lot like that.
Isaiah 66:13 parallels the kind of help that God gives to the consolation and comfort that a mother gives to her children: "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (RSV). God takes care of us much like a mother takes care of her children. God provides for us beyond what we are able to fully comprehend! Comfort involves compassion, encouragement and sympathy.
MOTHERS ARE COMPASSIONATE
Who comforts her children when they have had a tough day? Is it the siblings or the mother? Think about sibling rivalries and how they factor into the answer to this question.
1) Sibling rivalry: The Bible mentions sibling rivalries between Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers and let’s not forget the elder brother of the parable of the prodigal son. Dr. James Dobson, in his book, The Strong- Willed Child, writes: ''If American women were asked to indicate the most irritating feature of child rearing, I'm convinced that sibling rivalry would get their unanimous vote. Little children (and older ones too) are not content just to hate each other in private. They attack one another like miniature warriors, mobilizing their troops and probing for a weakness in the defensive line. They argue, hit, kick, scream, grab toys, taunt, tattle, and sabotage the opposing force.'' https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/15830/sibling-rivalry-in-the-home/ [Ken Trivette]. Sometimes we might see a sibling being sympathetic on a tough day but certainly not always.
2) Mothers: I think we would all agree that mothers are exceptional at showing compassion to her children. They know how to respond when a child is in need of comforting. I remember an episode when I was a child, I was helping my mother do the dishes. As I went to put one up, I dropped it and broke it. I felt badly about it. Yet, my mother consoled me. The grace of God is a lot like that. Consider Matthew 9:37: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (NIV). When Jesus gave them the support and guidance that they needed, it gave them hope where it was lacking. A mother looks after her children and guides them much like a shepherd looks after his sheep.
Does a mother ’s compassion model her devotion? There is always something that needs to be done and yet time is short.
1) More than 100%: “ No one deserves a special day all to herself more than today's Mom. A cartoon showed a psychologist talking to his patient: "Let's see," he said, "You spend 50 percent of your energy on your job, 50 percent on your husband and 50 percent on your children. I think I see your problem." http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/m/mothers_day.htm Not many children would argue how true that is for the devotion of their mothers.
2) A mother’s wisdom: One of the most emotional scenes I have seen in a movie was that of the late Ray Charles’s mother. There was a scene in the movie where she know her boy blindness would hold him if she coddled him too much. she was devoted to her son but she also wanted to teach him some independence. In that scene, he is reaching out and calling for his mother who is nearby. She silently weeps as she as he calls for her. It would have been easy for her to answer him but she restrained herself out of love. There is no doubt in my mind that she did that out of loving compassion to help her son learn to find his way as a blind child. In many ways, Charles Ray’s mother reminds me of a mother eagle teaching a baby eaglet to survive.
MOTHERS ARE ENCOURAGING
Can you remember a time when your mother helped you when your confidence was crushed? Wherever a child may have a sense of low self- esteem, a mother can build that child's confidence through her words of encouragement. Enrico Caruso is but one example. As a child his mother encouraged his talent for singing when one of his teachers said that his singing sounded like the shutters in the wind. She worked hard to encourage him not with just her words, but also with her actions as she worked hard to pay for his lessons. She even went barefoot in order to be able to pay for his music lessons. He went on to become one of the world's greatest opera singers as an adult. There is no question that his mother had a hand in his success. (Dale Carnegie. How To Win Friends And Influence People. One can only wonder how the world would have been robbed of his talent if his mother had not found a teacher that would help him unlock his potential.
How should mothers encourage their children in the face of failure or defeat? Obviously, a mother should not try to defuse a child's agony in such a way as to slight his or her feelings.
1) Consolation: What most all mothers do is to try to console their children. But what is the best way to console a child? The answer lies in how a mother can demonstrate love to her children. A preacher by the name of Melvin Worthington answers this question very well: “Love is superior to eloquent words (v. 1). Love is the vital principle, and without it all other endowments, including excellence in communication, is vain. Love is superior to wisdom (v. 2). If a person could unlock the mysteries of the entire universe and call forth faith to remove mountains, he would be zero without love. Love is superior to work (v. 3). (Morgan, R. J. (2002). Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook (2003 Edition, p. 136). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.). Mothers console their children where they are hurting with love.
2) Cheer: A child's heart can be broken when he/she is smarting from the insults of others or from the thwarted outcomes of what they had wanted to happen. Then, they can help their children with encouraging words. This is a process that we call "cheering up." The Bible says, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:13 NIV). Mothers try to show compassion to their children to help heal their hearts when they are broken.
MOTHERS GIVE US DISCIPLINE
There is a Jewish proverb that says, "God could not be everywhere, and so He made mothers." Of course, we know that God is not limited because He is infinite! But, nevertheless, this proverb speaks about the kind of support that God gives us.
1) Wisdom: As we look at the life and witness of Moses we can see how he exhibited godly wisdom to God’s children whom God called him to lead. God gives mothers the wisdom that they need in much the same way. Mothers obviously cannot be everywhere but the influence of God is exemplified in all godly mothers everywhere.
2) Correction: Proverbs 31:26?says this about godly mothers: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (ESV). Imagine that you are a well known public official and mama calls to correct you.
“According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Police Chief Phil Keith was in the middle of a city council meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee, when his pager beeped. Startled to see that the call was from his mother, he rushed to the press table and phoned her. “Phil Keith, are you chewing gum?” demanded his mom, who had been watching on cable TV. “Yes, ma’am.” “Well, it looks awful. Spit it out.” Keith dutifully removed the gum and went back to his meeting. >>>>>>>>>>>
There’s no one like mothers! The words “mother” and “love” go together like left and right hands, …… there’s no better passage to study than the “Love Chapter” of the Bible which describes the agape love of God which is necessary for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters—and for all the rest of us”. Morgan, R. J. (2002). Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook (2003 Edition, p. 136). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. What would the world be like if we did not have this kind of love and discipline?
How do mothers learn to teach their children from their wisdom, sympathy and support?
1) The schoolroom: Henry Ward Beecher once said, "The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom".
2) The acquisition of wisdom: Consider Proverbs 9:9 which says, “Give instruction to the wise and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning and understanding. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (NRSV). God helps mothers and helps us all to acquire the wisdom He wants us to have and to share when we follow His plan for our lives!
3) Loving sympathy: The Apostle Paul once said, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (I Corinthians 12:26 NIV).
Is one of the main responsibilities of mothers to teach their children to do their best? Remember Patton’s mother grooming her boy to become a leader? He went on to become one of the best leaders this nation ever had. Just think once again about the mother of Enrico Caruso and how she was sympathetic and supportive of him. Remember also the love of Ray Charles’s mother as she was trying to teach him some independence? Mothers have an instinct for this kind of loving support and sympathy!
Did your mother ever teach you about the importance of unity? 1) Addressing sibling rivalries: How many times did your mother give you instructions about getting along with your siblings? Did her advice echo Philippians 2:2?: "Fulfill ye my joy, that ye may be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." Obviously, Paul was talking about not only living a godly life after the example of Christ, but also a godly life in harmony with each other” (KJV). 2) Addressing your name: Godly mothers want us to live in harmony with our upbringing because of who we are . Proverbs 22:1? says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold” (ESV).
Can you fill in the blank, If mama ain’t happy, (ain’t noboby happy)? There is the story of a young man who went off to college and defied some of the values of his rearing that he had acquired in a Christian home. He had pornographic pictures on the walls. One day his mother came to visit him. She saw his walls but said nothing. Instead, she sent him a picture of herself and asked him to hang it up on his wall. The next time she went to see him the other pictures had been removed. And her picture was there hanging on the wall. She asked him about it and he replied, "You see mother, I could not have those pictures beside yours. They would be out of place." (A. Naismith. 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes. Great Britain: Pickering Paperbacks, 1988, p. 193). This story backs up the truth behind Proverbs 22:6: "Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (NIV). When mothers raise their children well, "training them in the way that should go", they give their children roots that are not compatible with a worldly lifestyle in the "far country".
We rise and call godly mothers blessed because of all they did (and are doing) to teach us how to love godly lives.
