Great Influence

Mother’s Day is on Sunday so there’s still time to pick up a card or gift! For those of us who attend church, the sermon this week will probably center around women who, whether biologically or not, play an ongoing nurturing role in the lives of others. It should be a time of encouragement with perhaps a little conviction for good measure. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Many years ago I sat in a Mother’s Day service where the pastor basically slammed Moms. He mentioned one of the kings of Judah in the Old Testament who was evil, although his father had been good, and laughed as he said, “Must have been his mother’s fault.” But he didn’t stop there. He kept going on and on trying to prove his point which was not supported by the passage.

To say I was horrified and infuriated wouldn’t even begin to scratch the surface. As I sat there seething, I wondered why the pastor hadn’t chosen one of the good kings of Judah whose father was evil, and shared that perhaps his mom was the godly influence in his life. Because although the way he made his point was, in my opinion, very disrespectful and the timing couldn’t have been worse, the general principle he clumsily tried to communicate is true: parents have great influence over their children.

Let’s take time to think about and honor those women who helped train us up in the way we should go which enabled us stay on or return to the right path (Prov 22:6). Whose comfort was so soothing that God chose to use it as an analogy of how He comforts His people (Is 66:13). Who lovingly and consistently disciplined us, and though we didn’t like it at the time, now see the fruit of it in our lives (Heb 12:11). The ones who read the Bible to us and taught us about the Lord from when we were very young (II Tim 3:15). And let’s rely on Jesus to be to be those kinds of Moms to the children in our care.

Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day along the way.