The Greatest Mother's Day Present Series

Luke 7:11-15 (p. 721) May 11, 2014

Introduction:

We have a great partnership with my old alma mater, James Lane Allen Elementary School so I thought you might like to see a few special pictures that students drew honoring their mothers or important women in their lives...(show pics).

As I was doing some research for this service I ran across these quotes about children (share quotes).

Erma Bombeck said “I loved you enough”...

*I loved you enough to ask about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home.

*I loved you enough to insist that you buy a bike, that we could afford to give you, with your own money.

*I love you enough to make you return a Milky Way – with a bite out of it – to the drug store and to confess “I stole this.”

*I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

*I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, disgust and tears in my eyes.

*I loved you enough to admit I was wrong and ask for your forgiveness.

*I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall and hurt.

*But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when you hated me for it. That was the hardest part of all.

I’m like Charles Spurgeon who said when asked “who was the greatest teacher he studied under?” He said, “My Mother...and the greatest lesson, I’ve ever learned was when I was 5 years old sitting on her knee...“Jesus loves me this I know! For the Bible tells me so.”

The greatest spiritual influence in my life wasn’t my Father, although I loved him deeply and he taught me great Spiritual truths...as well as how to hold my mouth just right to catch fish. It wasn’t Wayne Smith or Dr. Eubanks. The greatest influence in my life is my mother. I watched her get up and go to bed every evening reading her Bible. I saw her passionately lead other women to Christ and then disciple them. I watched and listened to her pray like she was talking to her best friend...because she was. I’ve seen her fight for what is right on the school board like a tiger, and I’ve watched her love and honor my father for over 55 years in marriage and then grieve his loss. She will turn 88 years old on July 27 of this year. If Jesus tarried and she’s still alive...even in the twilight of her years she is still my spiritual hero.

I love the story “When God Created Mothers.”

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said. “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on the black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands...no way.”

It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.

God, said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow...”

“I can’t,” said God, “I’m close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

“But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

“Can it think?”

“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

“There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”