A RETURNING FAITH

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” II Timothy 1:5

For the past few weeks, the newspapers, radio, TV and the stores have been reminding us to “remember mother.” I don’t think that anyone is ignorant of the fact that this Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s sad that today we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t have time for others and we need special days to remind us to care and love others like mother, father and grandparents etc.

The observance of Mothers Day in this country began in May of 1914, but long before that date God decreed the honoring of mothers. Not for one special day, but every day of the year! (Exodus 20:12). Christian mothers are the world’s greatest asset.

We usually think of honoring our mother merely in terms of material gifts and public recognition. But the most important way of demonstrating the esteem in which we hold our mothers is to be the sort of person our mother wants us to be.

Our mothers desire one thing from us above all else. It is not that we should stand up publicly praising them or buy them nice gifts. Their one desire is that they may see something of their faith and inspiration taking root in the life of their children.

Don’t just give her flowers and gifts on Mother’s Day to tell her that you love her, but incarnate in your lives the spirit of nobility and faith and devotion which she has. It is said that music is written not to be admired, but to be played.

In the Bible, motherhood is highly respected. Throughout the book of Proverbs children are instructed to love, respect and obey their mothers. In the Old Testament a child who hit or cursed his parents was sentenced to death by stoning (Exodus 21:15-17; Deuteronomy 21:18-21). The prophet Isaiah tells us that the greatest comfort imaginable is the love given by a mother to her child (Isaiah 66:13), and the Psalmist wrote that the most profound grief is the loss of a mother (Psalms 35:14).

The love of a mother is never exhausted. It never changes, it never tires, and it endures through all; in the face of the worlds condemnation, a mother’s love still lives on. To a mother there is no bad or ugly child. A mother can have ten kids and every one of them will know that they have all the love of their mother. The love of a mother is comparable to the love of God. A mother’s love is kind and patient, she is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting. Her love is forever.

When all have deserted you, she will stand with you. When all doubt, she believes in you. When all despairs, she hopes and when all surrenders, she fights and pray’s on. Mothers are rich when they love their own. There are no poor mothers, no ugly ones and no old ones. Their love is always the most beautiful of the joys. And when they seem most sad it needs but a kiss when they receive or give to turn all their tears into joy.

A young man who was tired of the monotony and the restrictions of home decide to leave, to go to a place where he could wander and be free. After some time of living his life on his own he realized that it was not what he had dreamed it would be. He decided to write to his mother and tell her that he was sorry and wanted to come home and that he would be taking the train back home.

He told her that if she still wanted him, she should hang a white handkerchief on the tree in their yard which could easily be seen from the train before it stopped at the station. He had decided that if he did not see a handkerchief he would stay on the train and continue on. How amazed the young man was when he found that his mother had used every available handkerchief and white sheet she had to hang on all the branches of the trees in the yard. He could not understand how his mother could continue to love him. It was a mystery to him that his mother’s love had increased instead of diminished.