"The Beauty Beyond the word Mother"
(Adapted from Rev. Kevin Cauley of Berryville Church of Christ)
May 24, 2009
Pastor Joseph Sanchee Awal
I was at my work one afternoon, there were no customers to assist and so I took the opportunity to think and pray on what would be my message for the coming Friday. While praying, with my eyes open, I was prompt by the Holy Spirit that this month is Mothers Day. I got so dismayed that I haven?t thought of it on the exact day. Nevertheless, I was very thankful also that it wasn't yet late to do something to recognize and honor our four mothers in the church. Again, I praised the Lord because of the help of the Holy Spirit that right then and there He comforted me and reminded me that that specific day has not ended the right of the church to give credit to the mothers.
I thought of sharing the meaning of the 6-letter word ?mother?. In my mind, I was thinking that the true meaning of mother is contained in its 6 letters. I tried to browse the internet to avail some resources and to my surprise, there it is! It is a sermon by Kevin Cauley, a minister and pastor of Berryville Church of Christ (www.preachersfiles.com). I adopted the sermon and shared it in that occasion.
I would like to share this to all the mothers out there. Though all of us were in different situations, some have lost their mother and some still have them, there is one common truth that binds us. All of us have mothers. In this truth alone, we can derive the sense that their being is not an ordinary. There is something in them that gives them the beauty. Let us take a look at the acronym and see who really our mothers are.
- Maturity
- While physically many females may give birth and technically be mothers, it takes a certain amount of maturity to make the commitment to being a mother.
- Motherhood isn't a part time job and every mother knows this.
- Having children requires long-term commitment and that requires a certain maturity that many simply don't have.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 applies to motherhood. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
- There's no doubt about it; being a good mother is doing the Lord's work.
- Obligation
- Mother's are obligated.
- First and foremost, however, they are obligated to God.
- Consider that these are the exact implications of Titus 2:4-5 ?That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.?
- 1 Timothy 2:15 states, ?but she shall be saved through her child?bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.?
- The word ?child-bearing? in this passage indicates maternity ? the duties that are associated with being a mother.
- God is concerned that women who are mothers understand that they are obligated to Him.
- A mother has a divine obligation to care for and raise her children according to God's will.
- Tears
- A good mother is going to experience some tears.
- And there are different kinds of tears.
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- There are tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of worry, tears of grief, tears of relief, and tears of regret.
- A good mother will experience all of these tears and more for the wellbeing of her children.
- Don't you know that Sarah cried at the birth of Isaac?
- I'm sure that Hannah cried out of pride for Samuel.
- I would believe that Eve cried upon the death of her son Abel and upon the guilt of her son Cain.
- There's no doubt in my mind that Mary cried as Jesus was being crucified.
- Home
- Take the ?t? and the ?r? out of mother and you have the letters for home.
- Someone once asked a child, ?Where is home?? The reply: Wherever mother is.
- Nothing quite defines home like a mother.
- Home is where there are good food, nourishment, and cookies!
- Home is where there is a loving atmosphere of care, concern, and conviviality.
- Home is where children can be raised in an atmosphere of respect, safety, and instruction.
- All of these things would be nigh impossible to obtain without mother.
- A mother can make all the difference in the world to the kind of home one has.
- Empathy
- When God made woman, He took her out of man's rib; in essence, God refined man.
- Women being the product of that refinement are more sympathetic and empathetic with their children than fathers.
- It takes both a father and a mother to raise children in the way that God would have them raised.
- The mother, however, provides the warmth, encouragement, emotional sympathy/empathy to a child that many times men either can't or won't provide.
- Reward / Regret
- If a mother is mature, recognizes her obligations, sheds her tears over her children, keeps the home, and practices an empathetic spirit toward her children, then she will be rewarded.
- She will be rewarded by children who will, as the Proverb writer says, ?Her children arise up, and call her blessed? (Proverbs 31:28).
- Her husband will extol her praises as well ?her husband also, and he praised her.?
- She will be recognized by the people of the community for her good works. Proverbs 31:31 ?...her own works praise her in the gates.?
- And ultimately, for being the kind of servant to God that she ought, she will receive the eternal and heavenly inheritance and eternal life.
- However, should she be immature, not fulfill her obligations, busy herself with her own pleasures instead of tears for her family, neglect the home, be unsympathetic toward her children, her life will be filled with regret.
- There may be regret due to lost children, regret due to a failed marriage, and regret due to children given to worldliness and carnality and much other sadness that comes as a result of failing to live a godly life.
- Ultimately, however, she will have eternal regret, if she does not repent, for the many missed opportunities to influence her children for good.
We are being reminded of who really our mothers are and once again, it is not only in the month of May that we will do something to honor our mothers. This message is saying to us that anytime we can make them special in our lives because they are not doing what they have done to us in a certain day or month or year. But it is in their being as a mother. God bless all our mothers! Read more...
