THE VALUE OF MOM
II Timothy 1:5
(Meditation)
RMBC 12 May 02 AM
Well, again, Happy Mother’s Day!
One thing we all have in common today is that we have mothers.
So, in just a moment, we are going to hear two testimonies about what their mom has meant to them.
And then, after that, I am going to take a few moments and share a short message to our moms, which, if you listen closely, will have application to us all.
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Mother (Survivor)
Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?
Six men will be dropped on an island with 1 van and 4 kids each, for 6 weeks.
Here are the challenges:
Each kid plays two sports and either takes music or dance classes
There is no access to fast food
Each man must take care of his 4 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, etc.
There is only one TV between them and there is no remote.
The men only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done
The men must shave their legs and wear makeup daily, which they must apply themselves either while driving or while making four lunches.
They must attend weekly PTA meetings, clean up after their sick children at 3 am, make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla, and one Magic Marker, and get a 4-year-old to eat a serving of peas.
The kids vote them off based on performance. The winner gets to go back to his job.
Did anybody around here have the nerve to say being a mother is an easy job?
No, we dare not say that.
Yet, our culture is rather confused about the subject.
Motherhood is not valued as a vocation.
Motherhood is not appreciated as a skill.
Motherhood is not considered a sacred calling.
ILL Notebook: Mother (Research Associate)
When Marg was picking up her children at school, another mother she knew well rushed up to her. Emily was fuming with indignation. "Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded. Before Marg could answer, Emily blurted out the reason for her question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver’s license at The County Clerk’s office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a . . .?”
“Of course I have a job,” snapped Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation, but ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder emphatically.
The next day, Marg found herself in the same situation, this time at the Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like “Official Interrogator” or “Town Registrar.”
“And what is your occupation?” she probed.
What made her say it, Marg does not know. The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right. Marg repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then she stared with wonder as her pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in her voice, Marg heard herself reply, "I have a continuing program of research in the laboratory and in the field. I’m working for my Masters and already have four credits. Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities and I often work 14 hours or more a day. But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.
As Marg drove into her driveway, buoyed up by her glamorous new career, she was greeted by her lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs she could hear their new experimental model (6 months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. She felt triumphant!
Today, I want to say to all moms, you have value, even if the culture is not getting it right!
OUR STUDY:
In II Timothy 1:5, Paul writes to Timothy:
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
I have always been fascinated by this verse.
It is here simply that we see the success of two wonderful women, Lois and Eunice.
They are successful, I believe, because they have transferred their faith to their grandson and son, respectively, Timothy.
They have been disciple-makers.
This is what mothers are (and grandmothers as well).
If you are mom today, you have a blessed task.
You have the opportunity to pass on faith, faith that makes an eternal difference.
Moms have life assignments.
They take children, and through nurture, teaching and love, and turn them into adults.
But it all starts when babies arrive.
You know, babies need mothers.
They need them more than babysitters, toys or material comforts.
They need the eye to eye contact.
They need to be held.
They need the security.
As one author said, “No one else in the world can mean as much to your child as you.”
This is why time with babies and these formative years are so essential.
Moms have the wonderful ability to feed their children, not only physically, but perhaps more importantly, emotionally.
They feed the soul of the child.
Moms, don’t underestimate your importance, even if our culture doesn’t get it.
ILL Notebook: Mother (Just do it)
During a business seminar, the topic under review was the effectiveness of slogans. The speaker made the point that a catchy phrase heard often enough will identify a company in the minds of consumers. To demonstrate, he asked the attendees to call out the names of the companies associated with several well-publicized slogans.
When he said, “Fly the Friendly Skies,” they shouted out “United Airlines.” To “Reach out and touch someone,” they identified the telephone company.
Then he said, “Just do it!” and before anyone had the opportunity to name the appropriate company, one person seated shouted, “Mom.”
Well, moms do teach, “just do it!”
They teach their children responsibility.
For they know, what their child does does matter.
There are consequences to what we do.
It is on the mind of a mother that her children be responsible.
APPLICATION:
I think this is a specific challenge for us as Christians.
What kind of children are we sending out into the world?
Are we sending out children that are going to produce an enduring legacy?
Are they going to make the world better?
To do this, I think we need to realize that this task of being a mom is not something that is done by yourself.
You don’t do this alone!
This is not a job for loners.
Even Martha Stewart can’t do this job by herself.
ILL Notebook: Mother (Hands—by Judith Peitsch, from Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell)
A poem called “Hands” by Judith Peitsch illustrates this well:
Thank you Lord for dirty hands
That touch my stove and fridge;
For sticky little fingers that
Try to build a bridge.
For careless hands that go astray
In search of something new;
For hands to hold and show the way
As mothers often do.
For precious little hands in which
Great faith so abounds;
For silly little hands that reach
To touch a mother’s frown.
And thank you for Your guiding hand
That leads me to the light;
That lifts me when I stumble
And points me to the right.
As little hands reach out to me
To show them what to do,
I’m steadied, reassured and loved
As I reach up to You.
Moms, if we are going to be successful like Lois and Eunice, we do it with a dependency on God.
So, I want to encourage you, in the midst of all the craziness that often comes with being a mom, spend time with God.
If you are going to have children that are going to make an impact on the world, then God has to make an impact on you.
So take time, find stillness (as hard as that is) and find refreshment with the One who has called you to be a mother.
For you have value, and you have a long assignment, being a mom for life.
BENEDICTION:
Give the Lord praise today…and thank Him for the mother He has given you—you have been blessed and though your mother wasn’t perfect, her very presence has communicated grace to you.
Give the Lord praise today and thank Him for the opportunity to be a disciple maker like Lois and Eunice, for the command to make disciples is not just for mothers, but for us all—we have the opportunity to make spiritual children into our brothers and sisters.
Now…May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
