Opening: In 2002, after Brenda Heist dropped off her children at school, she disappeared. She never made a call or sent a letter to her daughter, who was just eight years old, and her son was just ten years old then. But ten years later, suddenly, she reappeared. When Piers Morgan interviewed her 20-year-old son, he angrily said, "I don't think she deserves to see me. I don't have any plans to go to see her. I hope to eventually forgive her one day for myself, not for her." Her 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Heist, also expressed the same anger on her Twitter page that she hoped her mother "rots in hell." She said, “I don’t know. That makes me really mad. I can't believe she would do that because she was a good mom. She was great. But, I mean, I guess something happened. Something snapped in her."
Thank God, no mother here is like that. That is why, on this Mother’s Day, we want to thank you. We thank God for your love, dedication, and care for your children. May God continue to give you strength, peace, joy, and wisdom in parenting your children. Being a mother is a huge responsibility and a very tiring job. The research found that if you do not have a child, you have about three months of leisure time in a year! I heard a story about a lady who retired. She was complaining to her daughter, who was a stay-at-home mom. She said, “You know when you retire, you don’t look forward to the weekends anymore – because every day is Friday.” Her daughter tried to be sympathetic. “I know what you mean, Mom. When you’re a stay-at-home mom, every day is Monday.” Today we will learn from four mothers in the Bible. No mother is perfect. Therefore, we will learn the positive things that these mothers teach us.
I. JOCHEBED. She is a protective mother. Let’s read Exodus 2:1-4. The population of Jacob’s descendants in Egypt increased so much that and made the leaders there worried that they would be too strong to handle. They forgot what Joseph had done for them 400 years ago. Pharaoh forced them to work hard like slaves to control the Jewish population. More than Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill Jewish baby boys. But thankfully, some midwives did not obey his command and allowed boys to live, and the nation of Israel grew strong in number. One of the babies who survived was Moses. As Moses grew big, his mother could no longer hide him and feared death would come to her son. So, she put Moses in a basket to protect him. She placed him in the Nile and entrusted her son to God. His sister watched him from a distance and saw his rescue. She even offered “a woman” to be the nurse for the baby, and Moses’ mother became his nanny (2:7-9).
Moses’ mother took great risks to protect her son. Mothers should protect their children in many ways. Today they may not need to protect their children from murderers like Pharoah but other dangers. Here, mothers need to protect their children from the bad influences of social media, game addiction, pornography, and even from their teachers at public schools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-nMlMU48wI (Minute 1:26 – 2:26). I read some news last week: Oreo is the best-selling cookie brand in the US and the number one selling cookie globally. In this age of "woke" business, it's not surprising that Oreo's parent company, Nabisco, would want to capitalize on the popularity of its commodity. On Monday, they released a short film affirming a young Asian man coming out as gay. Their film is one example of the escalation of unbiblical sexual morality in American culture. Here are some others: GLAAD, a leading LGBTQ watchdog group, urges Hollywood to incorporate more LGBTQ content into children's programming. A former Disney Channel actor recently witnessed his female co-stars being sexually exploited at an early age. And new sex education guidelines in New Jersey will teach first-graders about gender identity. - The University of Texas will allow students to live together regardless of their gender or sexual identity. The university explained, "This helps enhance our residents' sense of belonging and improve our competitiveness with the Austin market and other institutions. It also allows us to be more responsive to student needs." The fact that you're probably not surprised by this news is my point. - ‘Pansexual’ Florida Teacher Fired After Sexuality Discussion in Classroom By Caden Pearson May 5, 2022. A former Florida middle school art teacher has said she was fired after discussing sexuality with her students, including revealing to them that she is pansexual and allowing the students to paint LGBTQI+ flags which she hung in the classroom. We thank God for our mothers who have protected us morally by teaching us right from wrong. They have often protected us emotionally by keeping us from things they knew would hurt us. Mothers have also protected our spirits and brought us up to love and serve the Lord.
II. HANNAH. She is a prayerful mother. Let’s read 1 Samuel 1:24-28. Hannah prayed for a son for many years (she was barren). After years of prayer and endurance, God gave her a son (verse 20), and she gave him to the Lord (verses 20-28). It was sort of a deal she had struck with the Lord. God give me a son, and I will give Him back to you. Samuel was taken to the Lord’s house when he was of appropriate age, and he was left with the priests to become a servant of the Lord. She continued to support him in the Lord’s work. We learn here that
God answers prayers concerning children. As parents, we should give our children to the Lord to use them as He sees fit. More than that, we should support our children in doing the Lord’s will. Hannah prayed for Samuel even before he was born and after he was born or since he was a baby. God heard her prayers and used her son extensively. Samuel is the prophet who anointed the first and second kings of Israel, Saul, and David. He also wrote at least two books in the Old Testament. Mothers, you never know what your children will be because of your prayers for them! How about children who had already grown up and didn’t know Christ because their mothers didn’t pray for them when they were little? God still hears the prayers of their mothers. Here is a story about a mother who married an unbeliever. For years she suffered a lot, mainly caused of her husband's adultery and her rebellious, brilliant son, who rejected Christianity. Every night she tearfully prayed for her son’s salvation. Knowing her faithful, earnest prayers, her pastor told her, “The child of those tears shall never perish." After 17 years of prayers, God saved her son and used him amazingly. Her name is Monica, and her son is Augustine. Mothers, keep praying for your children, mainly their salvation, and walk with the Lord. Never stop praying for your children!
III. EUNICE. She is an instructive mother. Let’s read 2 Timothy 1:1-5.
Eunice was a wonderful mother who changed the world through her child. She was the mother of Timothy. Timothy was a close friend of the Apostle Paul and was one of his chief associates in his missionary journeys. Paul relied on Timothy in his ministry. Timothy first joins Paul on his journeys (Acts 16:1-3) after visiting a city called Lystra. We see him being a faithful friend even in Paul’s imprisonment in Rome (Colossians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Philemon 1). Timothy and his mother and grandmother were Jewish believers who heard about Christ and accepted Him. The faith in Timothy was first in his grandmother and his mother. They were an example of faith to him. They taught him the scripture. Mothers and grandmothers, how much time do you spend talking to your children and grandchildren about the Scripture? They should first hear about God from you. Teach them the songs about Jesus. They should be singing about Jesus before they sing about Barney. Teach them about Jesus. Get them into the church or Sunday School.
IV. Mary. She is a supportive mother. Let’s read John 19:25a. While many of Jesus’s disciples ran away when Jesus was captured, Mary stood by the cross of Jesus. Her heart was broken seeing the suffering of her beloved Son, Jesus. She knew something about Jesus that others couldn’t understand. Even though it was so hard to see her Son was mocked, beaten badly, and nailed on the cross, she stayed with her Son till His death. Mothers, support your children in answering God’s call and mission for them. As parents, we should remember that our children are not ours. They belong to God. Therefore, when we know that they answer God’s call for them, we should support them even though it is not what we want. When I went to Seminary for five years to respond to God’s call, both of my parents supported me. I thank God for that! But some of my friends’ parents were so angry and no longer considered them their children because they went to seminary and became pastors or ministers. Many parents who knew that their children were brilliant, wanted them to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, or people in business who can make a lot of money.
Our children also need emotional support. There are times when they are discouraged, sad, upset, confused, frustrated, and lonely. They would appreciate their mothers’ love, care, encouragement, or just presence during those times. May God help mothers protect, pray, teach, and support their children.
Closing: What children need from their mothers is more than being strong women (physically) but women of strength (spiritually and emotionally). Here are the differences: A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, while a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape. A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows courage in her fear. A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone. A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future; a woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them. A strong woman walks sure-footed, but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls. A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face, but a woman of strength wears grace. A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey; a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.
