According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Mother’s Day came about after a Philadelphia mother held a memorial service for her mother in 1907. Seven years later, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday in 1914. The idea of having a day to celebrate our mothers is a wonderful idea. Few roles in life are as sacrificial and selfless as that of a parent. You pour your entire life into your child for 18-20 years to have them leave your home and start their own home. Nothing on earth has more ups and downs, more frustrations, more blessings, and ultimately more rewards when it is all said and done

The Bible is clear on the responsibility of parents. Years ago, as Julie and I became parents, I decided I would read through Proverbs and mark all of the parental admonitions. I noticed that many, if not most, of the commands for parents could be put into two categories. These categories were discipline for your children and instruction in the Word of God. That is pretty much a summary of what God has given us to do. The older you get, the fewer excuses you have for who you are and the decisions you have made. But there is no question that when parents fail to disciple their kids in both discipline and the Word, kids start out at a great disadvantage.

I wanted to take the opportunity this week to write about my mom in honor of Mother’s Day. I grew up in a small southern town as an only child to two wonderful parents. I guess you could say that I was spoiled being an only child and I am told I was very strong willed. Yet, my earliest memories consist of things like being in church, taking trips, and doing fun things with my mom and dad. The older I get, the more precious these memories are to me. I cannot be more grateful for my mom and dad both and their support of me all my life.

Here are some things I learned from my mom. First, teach your kids the Bible from the earliest of ages. I remember my parents teaching me about 20 Bible verses before I was even old enough to read or go to school. These are verses that I can repeat to this day some 35 years later and have been a lighthouse for my own life. My mom and dad both have encouraged me with the words of Proverbs 22:6 many times since I have become a parent. This proverb says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” BTW, that was from memory because they taught me that when I was a kid!

The second thing I have learned from my mom is that next to your relationship with the Lord, family should be your top priority. I am not sure if she has ever said this to me directly because she is not the preachy type, but she does not have to. The reason is because she lives it every day of her life. I never remember a time when I was growing up that my mom ever made me feel like I was a burden to her. As a matter of fact, she and my dad made a decision before I was born that she would stay home and take care of me as her full-time job. The same devotion that I feel like she has always had toward me has been extended to my kids all of their lives.

Even now, my mom and her sister are caring for their father as much as possible as he is suffering from dementia. They are spending as much time with him as they can to help comfort and encourage him. I know they would have it no other way. In 2003, my grandmother passed away. Prior to her passing, she was on a ventilator/tracheostomy for more than 300 days. Although she was nearly 45 minutes away, my mom went to see her nearly every day.

This lesson of how important family ought to be is something we pastors need to keep in perspective. I know that some of my pastor friends read this blog and I think we need to remember that by God’s grace, the ministry will be with us until we retire, die, or Jesus comes. However, our kids will only be with us a short period of time. Let’s invest in them, because they are our priority.

A third thing I have learned from my mom is that you should let your kids know how special they are to you. Again, this is not something she has ever outright said but then again, she has never had to. She has never missed calling me or the kids on a birthday. She has never missed special days. She is a master at making sure the little things are taken care of.

I have tried to adequataely express to her several times that she is such a wonderful grandmother, but I don’t know if I was fully able to convey just how wonderful she is. She showers the kids with love and affection. She invites them to their house to stay a few days during the summer for grandparent and grandkid time. She gives them anything they want. I mean like even ice cream for breakfast and eating out every meal. I sometimes wonder if these were the same people I grew up with! I guess that is what happens when you become a grandparent though.

A fourth thing I have learned from my mom is to never discourage your kids from doing what God has put in their heart to do. It is pretty crazy for me to think about, but my mom was basically an empty nester at 41 because she was so young when she had me, and I am their only child. This is crazy for me, because I will be 41 next year and have 3 kids at home— including a 4-year-old! My mom is a bit on the sentimental side. Holidays are a big thing for her. This year will be the 20^th Mother’s Day since I left home to go to college and then enter ministry. As well as I can remember, we have seen each other one time in those 20 years on Mother’s Day. Since my Dad and are I both pastors, it has never worked for us to be together for Mother’s Day except one vacation we took together.

Although my mom was an empty nester at 41 and we see each other only a handful of times each year, my mom has never discouraged me from serving God. This is probably the greatest lesson that she has modeled for me in my adult life and I commend it to you.

I am very grateful for my mom. My memories from childhood extend from having water drinking races, playing H-O-R-S-E (but we shortened it to P-I-G) on our basketball court, to eating Hardees hot dogs with chili at picnics, to wiping blood and dirt off my back when I fell into rose bushes, to now going on beach trips with my kids. In my 40 years of life, I have made a lot of wonderful memories with my mom, and I hope we have many, many more. I love you Ma, and thank you for all you have done for me in my life!

Soli Deo Gloria!