Happy Mother’s Day!

BY DR. ROBERT E. FOWLER

Here are two gifts to give Mom on her special day:

Appreciation. We all need it, and the Bible recognizes that often. In the Bible you see people being appreciated because we have a need for this. Paul said in Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God every time I remember you.” And in Colossians 1:3: “Whenever we pray for you, we always begin by giving thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s good to be appreciative of other people. You can appreciate your mom, no matter what.

Why is that important? Because the Bible says, “Honor your father and your mother.”

Mom needs a life. In John 10:10, “Jesus said, ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’” We’ve got to help moms enjoy the abundant life that Jesus has given. If I’m so rushed, and so hurried, and my life is so filled that I don’t have time to connect with Jesus and enjoy the abundant life — what am I modeling for my kids? We’ve got to give moms the time to enjoy this abundant life.

Here’s the invitation to us: Every one of us who knows a mom, do everything you can to help mom be in a place where she can model the abundant life for their kids. That will have an impact. Often, it’s just a small break — just a small time to get away that can make a huge difference.

What keeps us from getting this? Three things.

One is patterns, We fall into patterns and ways of doing things, We have to change t h a t .

A second is selfishness, We can all get selfish — moms, dads, kids. We all get selfish sometimes. Selfishness causes arguments. It causes, “Whose turn is it to do this on this day?” All of a sudden we’re not communicating and helping anymore.

A third thing when it comes to this issue: others. It’s not just mom and dad. There are others who need to be involved. That’s what a church family is all about. It’s helping each other out.