Honoring Mom

I really love Mother's Day and probably for different reasons than most people. My mother went home to be with the Lord in 2003 and sadly, there was a good deal of conflict between us throughout most of my life. Fortunately, we were able to repair our relationship but there were many years that I wasn't very honoring towards her. Mom was a strong godly woman, but she didn't come to know Jesus as her Savior until just a few months before she died. She hasn't been around to see my daughter grow up and she's missed out in seeing how God has worked in my family's life.

What Mother's Day has become for me is an opportunity to honor my mother by honoring my wife Cheryl; the mother of my precious daughter Amanda. I absolutely love helping Amanda make something to give to her mommy to celebrate this special day. I love seeing the joy in her face as she tells her mommy that she is the best mommy in the whole wide world. My daughter is excited to be around Mom-Mom (Cheryl's mom) and her great-grandmother down in Florida. She loves to tell me that because we all have Jesus in our hearts, we'll all be together in Heaven and she can't wait to meet my mom there.

Yes Mother's Day is about our moms and the moms of our children, yet we as God's men have a big part in this as well besides buying them flowers or taking them out to lunch. Two of the strongest God-honoring commands in scripture are Exodus 20:12--honor your...mother and Ephesians 5:25--love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. If your relationship with your mother is strained, ask God to allow you to extend the same grace to her that He so freely gives to you. Then, ask Him to help you lay down anything that is keeping you from loving your wife with the same affection and sacrifice that Christ did for his church.

Let's take time today to reflect on how well we've obeyed these two commands of our Lord. And if we've fallen way short of the mark (which we probably have), let us resolve today to honor our mothers and the mothers of our children each and every day to bring glory to the Father.