A BLESSED MOTHER

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Proverbs 31:1, 25-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today is one of those ultra-special days of the year, the day we get to pause and give special recognition to the special women who bore us, delivered us, and then worked so hard to raise us to be the people we are today. It’s Mother’s Day.

Looking at the Book of Proverbs, there isn’t a better selection of verses for today than these ones from Chapter 31 under the book’s epilogue titled, “The Wife of Noble Character”:

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”  Proverbs 31:1, 25-29

This word of God always brings me to appreciate all the things I find in my own mother, a mother who is so very precious to me (worth far more than rubies) and everyone who knows her. There has always been a quiet strength and dignity about her that I’m sure helped her deal with the many years she raised me and my siblings, the same strength and dignity that has carried her through so many challenges after we left home and went out on our own. No matter what might be going on, Mom always was able to maintain cheer and know that the Lord would bring better days ahead.

Through my adult years, I have also come to a greater sense of gratitude for the wisdom and instruction my mother imparted on me. I may have thought she was crazy when I was younger, unable to understand fully just how valuable her teaching was to me but as I grew older, the beauty of her insight, judgment, and discernment was fully revealed. It really is true what they say. Your parents do get smarter with every day you grow older.

Another quality of my mom that I’ll never forget is her deep sense of selflessness. She would do anything for anyone, consistently placing herself second. The affairs of the household would always be a priority for her, our care her focus. There’s an attitude of industry that one needs to have to be a mother, especially when you have five children, and my mother had industry in abundance. She never ate from the bread of idleness, that’s for sure.

So where does this lead to? What end result comes from a mother like mine who gave so freely of herself for the benefit of her family?

Our scripture for today gives us two outcomes:

First, the mother will be praised for her efforts. Even though she does nothing with the intent of seeking praise, still her husband, the father of her children, will ensure her hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. He recognizes her noble character and then distinguishes her above all other women. After all, she is his wife and his alone. She is the mother of his children and there can be no other. Many women are noble and do great things but the mother who dedicates and devotes her energy to care for her family surpasses all of them. Through her selfless sacrifice, she elevates herself above the masses.

The second outcome for the mother who surrenders so much to care for her family is they become blessed from her efforts. Children are happy and joyful when they are loved and cared for properly. A mother who carries out the will and way of the Lord in the way she raises the children He entrusted to her care will bless them in a way that they will never forget. Ditto for the husband who often couldn’t be there to help the mother because of work obligations.

Yes, today is a special day because it is focused on special people, our mothers who blessed us so richly when we were growing up and then blessed us in our adult lives through their support and wisdom. I don’t know about you but I couldn’t be the man I am today had it not been for my mother.

So in closing, Mom, I love you and celebrate all that you are. Lord, thank You for blessing me with her.  

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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