Happy Mother's Day!

The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. Proverbs 31:1 NIV

May God continue to bless all who have inspired others by the love shown to them, to know how to love and mother future generations.

For all the people who have ever "mothered" a child, whether you gave birth to them or not, this day is a celebration of love for you! Enjoy!

And A Mother Is...

But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. I Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV

There are so many references in The Word regarding a mother or mothers that I had difficulty choosing one, but I think this one is a stand-out, for more than one reason.
A nursing mother holds her child close and dear,
Desiring only for the child to be healthy and know love,
She cares for herself because everything she eats or drinks,
Flows into the child in her arms--lovingly and the child grows.

As the child gets older, a mother's love never stops,
But regroups her methods to make sure the child knows,
Right from wrong and wrong from right, disciplining, teaching,
Loving no matter what happens, knowing when the time is right,
To allow the child to take steps on his/her own, praying, seeing them grown.

And when they are grown, her love never stops, but spreads deep within
Without, making room for the grands and great-grands, the fruit of the child,
Once nestled in the curve of her arms, now strong enough to hold his/her mother
As they begin their own journey into parenthood.

At every stage and age a mother is whatever we need for that moment,
So we must cherish the time we have with them so memories will never fade,
And we share with our children's children all the sacrifices she made,
For us to live life--loved and challenged to be all we can be--making a difference.

Celebrating The Gift of Motherhood!

“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2,3 NIV)

How have we come so far from obeying the commandments of God as it pertains to honoring mothers and fathers? We know we have because of all the sad events reported in the media. If we really want to see a change in our nation, we must return to doing things God's way.

But before we can truly honor mothers and fathers, they have a responsibility to their children--to bring them up in the ways of God, not just by word but by example. When children are exposed to Godly behavior  in their homes, they will exemplify that behavior when they are not at home.
That's simple enough, but perhaps too simple to be understood and implemented.

How parents act--and we see them in public--in private will be seen in the behavior of their children in public. Children do what they see their parents do, not just what their parents say. This occurs because some parents have a "do as I say mentality rather than do as I do" mentality. In other words, they are not going to behave as God would direct us and then they wonder why their children are often in trouble.

Admittedly, some children are prone to fall under the influence of peers who have not been parented by Godly parents and they go astray, even though their own parents have lived a life that is pleasing to God in front of them. This is why all parents are responsible for their  children's behavior since their behavior has wide range influence. Kids who are cussing in public or cussing at their teachers have parents who have no regard for the language they use in front of them. Kids who steal and lie pick up the bad habits from parents who think nothing of stealing and lying in front of their kids. Loud and obnoxious kids usually have loud and obnoxious parents or are influenced by other kids who have loud and obnoxious parents.

But that's not all parents and it's certainly not all kids. There are some good examples of Godly parents in our environment and it is those parents who are committed to raising children who respect those in authority, have values and morals that are evident in their daily behavior, and who know and love The Lord.

Kids are not responsible for the behavior of their parents--parents are responsible for the behavior of their kids--to a point. Once they leave a parent's home, they are responsible for themselves, but if they have not had a good foundation laid for responsible behavior, they may not learn to behave responsibly.

At any rate, there is a time and place for everything and today is the time set aside to "honor mothers"  and all the mothers who have raised their children by Godly example, I salute you. For those who never knew their natural mothers and made it anyhow, I celebrate you. For those who raised more children they gave birth to--God has a special place in heaven for you. For all the mothers--who raised their children with love and discipline as a foundation for living, God bless you!

Hopefully, I have not left out any of the wonderful mothers who have raised or are raising God-loving children. If your mother is no longer here, hug someone's mother who reminds you of your own. Let's celebrate motherhood as a great gift from God because it is.  

  

Recognizing Special People--Mothers!

Today, is unlike most days, were we simply take mothers for granted. Today--we honor them in special ways!

My mother died from cancer at the age of 58 and she's been gone for over 20 years, but I still miss her and remember the lessons she taught.

If your mother is still around--among the living--show her how much you love her--today--while you can because tomorrow just might be too late. If you are a mother--take the time to enjoy the day and know that you are loved--by so many more than those who tell you.

Since I am still experiencing difficulties with access to share my blog posts the way I normally do, I encourage you to check in to www.maryhallrayford.wordpress.com to see what I said about "Mother's--Special People."