So, one of
the most lucrative made-for-Hallmark holiday moments is right around the
corner, and if you haven’t bought your mother an obligatory card or a token
gift you’re probably going to be banished to the island of Unequivocal Guilt
Levels You (aka, UGLY), where all of the bad children go when they fail to come
through on that one particular day of the entire year when how you treat your
mother makes all the difference.
I’m not
against mothers, you understand. I was born to one, as you probably were, too.
And I have been incredibly blessed to have been raised by a wonderful, godly
mother. You may have been, too. Praise God for mothers who fear the Lord and
train up their children in the way they should go!
But if you
detected a hint of sarcasm in that opening paragraph, I assure you my
objections are aimed not at mothers but at the disproportionate value attached
to that one day. I could literally be a thoughtless, ungrateful, disrespectful,
rebellious jerk of a son for 364 days of the year, but if I score a nice card
and a decent gift on Mother’s Day, I’m good for another year. On the other
hand, if I treat my mom like a queen throughout the year but blow it on
Mother’s Day, it’s UGLY for me.
Okay, that
may not be exactly how it works, but there’s some validity there.
All I’m saying is that we ought to
honor our mothers every day. If it helps you to have a special day once a year
to remember to do that, fine. But in light of the fact that, first of all, we
are commanded by God to do so, and secondly, that our mothers have poured more
love and care and prayer into us than we’ll ever know, we should make every
effort to show them honor, appreciation and love while we have the opportunity.
I’m done ranting now.
With that said, I also realize that
Mother’s Day is not a happy time for everyone. I know of some moms who have
lost a child, and the pain of this day for them is unbearable. Other mothers
have children who have wandered far from the faith in which they were raised.
Still others are reminded of the grief and shame of having aborted a baby, and
others of the fact that they didn’t do such a great job of being a mom.
It’s true that not everyone has had
a good mom. If that’s your case, then please know that I truly hurt for you.
May the Lord God himself shelter you under his wings of love and protection
that you might rest securely in his abundant grace.
Speaking of grace, maybe you’re a
mom who knows that you’ve blown it. What can you do but fall upon the mercy and
grace of a great God and Savior whose arms are strong enough to catch you, the
One who is also more than able to make a masterpiece out of a mess? Yes, even
you! A favorite song of mine says it well:
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus.
Maybe you’ve been living on the
island of UGLY, but I assure you on the authority of the Word of God that there
is hope and a way of salvation for you. Jesus didn’t come and lay down his life
on the cross for perfect people. He came for sinful wretches like you and me.
Don’t think your sin is too much for him to bear, either. He came for thieves
and liars and adulterers and prostitutes and lepers and murderers and the
demon-possessed. It’s all in the Bible; look it up.
“For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16). You may be a wretch, but you’re also a
“whosoever,” and, praise God, his amazing grace has saved a wretch like me! He
can save you, too, dear friend. Cry out to Jesus, and you’ll find grace.
And by the way, I did get a card and gift for my mom (or at least my wife got it for me), just in case you were wondering.
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