The Power Of Positive Mothers

The Power of a Positive Mother

Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.” (NLT)

Proverbs 31:25-26, 28 “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue…Her children arise and call her blessed.” (NIV)

These passages of scripture in Proverbs describe my mother. I praise God for a mother who honored the Lord and looked at life through positive eyes and a positive heart.

My mother was an expert at managing her house and juggling her many activities.

During her early years of marriage my mother had most of the responsibility of raising my older sister and me. While others around us lived with modern conveniences we made due without. My mother had to wash clothes using a wash board. She had to heat water to wash clothes and the dishes. She had to heat the iron to iron clothes. She did baby sitting and eventually purchased an electric iron to do washings and ironings to make extra income.

My father was working at different jobs in various states and was gone more than he was at home. My mother for all practical purposes was a single parent raising two children.

A lady pastor of an Evangelical United Brethren Church we attended encouraged my mother to go to college and become a teacher. Mother took college courses during the summer and correspondence courses during the year and taught grades 1-8 in a country school house.

Jesus demonstrated love and care for his mother. John 19:25-27: “Near the Cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” Even as Jesus hung on the cross he cared for his mother.

The Apostle John lived long enough to care for Mary all the days of her life.

On Mother’s Day we try to show extra effort in showing Mothers our love. What we do on Mother’s Day we need to practice all year long.

Use words to tell your mother that you love her. Express you love with action by giving hugs and kisses.

The Proverb writer says that a “wise woman builds her house.”

My title for today’s sermon is taken from the book of a similar title: “The Power of a Positive Mom” by Karol Ladd. Positive mothers have several common qualities.

I. Positive Mothers Add Value to their Family

The financial value of a mother is hard to calculate. This past week K-Love Christian Radio quoted a research study that calculated that on the average a stay at home mother earned $131,000 a year. Total up the costs of being an animal caretaker, financial manager, food/beverage service worker, general office clerk, childcare worker, housekeeper, psychologist, bus driver, dietitian, property manager, social worker and recreation worker and $131,000 is a good deal.

There are some things that were left out of that list:

Kissing a boo-boo - Priceless

Making the family a special meal they all like - Priceless

Getting up during the night for feeding or illness - Priceless

Searching the entire house for a gerbil - Priceless

Cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines - Priceless

Scratching the back of children at bedtime - Priceless

Baking cookies for an after school snack - Priceless

Reading stories at bedtime - Priceless

Giving a hug, a smile, a word of encouragement - Priceless

There are many things a mother does than you can’t put a price tag on. There are things a mother does that money can’t buy.

Being a mother is a challenging job. One cartoon showed a mother with a crying baby in her arms answering the telephone. The sink is full of dishes, another toddler is crawling on the floor, the trash is overflowing, the mother has her hair up in curlers and someone is ringing the doorbell. She answers the phone and says, “No this is not the Shady Rest Retirement Home – it’s not even close.”

Motherhood is not for the light hearted. But being a mother does have many memorable moments.

If you’re no longer living at home, think back on your childhood memories. What event or experience stands out in your mind?

For me one of the memorable moments was a family picnic we went on. We traveled to a secluded place where we had our family picnic and then went swimming as a family. It was a happy positive time.

Are you building positive memories for your family? Every summer Carollyn and I work at building a positive memory for our grandchildren. Again this summer we will have our grandchildren visit for a couple of weeks. For us a highlight is the evening devotional time when I read a Bible story and ask questions of what we read and take prayer requests from each of our grandkids.