Three Gifts To Give The Next Generation - Mother's Day 2024

Here are some interesting things I have heard moms say.

1. My kids sure make a lot of plans for someone who can’t drive anywhere.

2. One mom said to another, “That’s it. I’m selling my kid on eBay.”

The other mom replied, “Don’t be silly! You made him. Sell him on Etsy.”

3. Nothing is lost until mom can’t find it.

4. “Silence is golden. Unless you have kids. Then silence is suspicious.”

5. “I don’t want to sleep like a baby. I want to sleep like my husband.”

6. “There’s nothing quite like being told I’m wrong by someone who depends on me for food, clothing, and shelter.”

A police recruit was asked what he would do if he had to arrest his mother. He said, “I’d call for backup.”

Mother’s Day is when we send cards and flowers and eat meals with our moms. It’s a time when we say thanks.

Interestingly, according to an FBI undercover agent, Mother’s Day is the most important holiday on the mobster’s calendar. There are no vendettas or broken bones on Mother’s Day with the mob. According to mob informants, it’s only gift baskets and boxes of candy.1 So, everyone is nice on Mother’s Day!

The Bible says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

No one is more influential in my children’s lives than their mother. She has served them, cooked for them, cleaned them up, scolded them, preached to them, educated them, hollered at them, and loved them repeatedly. She has taught them so many time-honored lessons along the way, from how to drive to how to do a job well. In between, there has been relationship advice, money skills, and some job skills. If my children keep the faith, a big portion of that will be because of their mom’s voice inside their heads.

Being a mother is challenging and discouraging. For many of you of ladies, it was the black and white image moving silently on a sonogram that truly confirmed the news – “I am a mother.” From that point on, you have been on a roller coaster. The gravity of your position descended upon you.

You can step away from most jobs at some point in your life when you want to. Motherhood relentlessly keeps coming at you.

Now, a mother feels daily pressure for so many reasons. You work to help provide an income for your family, and then you feel guilty when you aren’t there at home. Or you’re a single Mom, and there’s no one in the batter’s box to pinch-hit for you when you grow tired.

I want to keep two mothers before your mind’s eye today. These two moms are lifted from the pages of the Bible. Mom, when you envision your child’s future, would you ever consider your precious child being sold into slavery and dragged against his will into a foreign nation? Could you imagine your baby boy’s brothers being so jealous that they threw their young brother into a pit only to sell him to the first group of people who came by? Mom, could you imagine the baby you rock to sleep being thrown into a lion’s den? For the mothers of Joseph and Daniel, this is exactly what the future they couldn’t envision. We know that beautiful Rachel was the mother of Joseph, but the Bible doesn’t give us the name of Daniel’s mother. Yet, both of these moms rose to the challenge of raising children whose faith flourished despite the obstacles thrown their way.

America looks really different for our children than many of us imagined. Can we envision the future our children will have? How can we best prepare them for the obstacles coming against their faith?

America looks really different for our children than many of us imagined. Our children face numerous challenges, and most Americans are pessimistic about our future. How can we disciple the next generation to prepare them for an uncertain future best?

I know mom should receive a gift on Mother’s Day – I get it. Still, here are Three Gifts You Can Give the Next Generation.

1. Give Your Children the Gift of Moral Convictions

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29).

The first gift you can give your children is to galvanize their moral convictions.

1.1 Conformed to the Image of His Son

Underline that phrase “conformed to the image of his Son.” God’s goal for every single believer is that they are “conformed to the image of his Son.” Mom, your number one goal is to see your children become fully formed disciples of Jesus. Dad, your number one goal in life is to see your children become fully formed disciples of Jesus.