Jump Start # 3823
Proverbs 31:28-29 “Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.
Sunday is Mother’s Day. Mom’s day. The day begins with a Poptart breakfast in bed, going out to eat, maybe some flowers and lots of praise. Some of us were blessed to have incredible moms. For others, it’s not that story. To this day, there may be heartache and pain between you and your mom. For some, including me, our moms have been on the other side of life for a long time. We still miss them.
Our moms do so much for us. Their work never seems to end. From the cooking, cleaning, fixing, mending, making sure we are up and out of the house in time to meet the school bus, our moms have done so much. They have given us medicine when sick, kissed our cheeks when we cried, held us when we were scared and always had a heart that never gave up on us. Our moms come in all sizes, and we each truly believe that ours was the best.
In our verse today, from what we commonly call the virtuous woman, praise and appreciation came from those who saw her the most and knew her the best, her family. Her children bless her. Her husband praises her. And, as we head into a day which honors our moms, the greatest gift any daughter of God would love to see is that her children are walking with the Lord.
Flowers are nice, but within a week, they will be tossed in the trash. A meal out is nice, but by evening time, mom is usually in the kitchen fixing things for dinner. Candy, jewelry are nice gifts, but nothing touches the heart of a mother more than knowing that her children are walking with the Lord, busy in the kingdom and are Heaven bound. The fact is, mom wants her children to one day be in Heaven. And, when the kids are not walking with the Lord, fewer things hurt a mom’s heart more than realizing that. She’ll preach to you. She’ll harp on you getting back to church. And, you know, deep inside, mom is right.
Here are some thoughts from our verse today:
First, to receive the praise of others, one must do the work that helps others. A selfish person rarely gets the praise from others. They only think about themselves. When one runs through Proverbs 31, we see the description of a woman who is busy serving and helping her family. To praise when there is nothing worthy to praise is not only fake, and it becomes flattery rather than a compliment. Her children blessed her and her husband praised her because of the wonderful things this woman had done.
Second, although the text doesn’t specifically state this, it is pretty obvious that she loved her family and would bless and praise them. Being a woman of God you can be sure that she prayed for her family. She would pray for their safety. She would pray for their spiritual wellbeing. What we find is a healthy relationship in that family.
Third, the fact that the children rise up and bless her shows the type of people that they were becoming. Mother’s Day, as we know it, did not begin until 1908. I don’t think Solomon had a Mother’s Day in his time. Her children were raised to appreciate the work of others. Her children were raised to be thankful and to express it. Her children were likely taught to be thankful to the Lord. And, when one grows up in an atmosphere of serving and gratitude and appreciation, a healthy and wholesome spirit prevails. Children rise up blessing her. They don’t rise up complaining. They don’t rise up demanding. They don’t rise up only thinking of themselves. They rise blessing.
The idea of rising brings the thought of getting out of bed. The day begins with thankfulness. The day starts with gratitude. If we could look into the window of that home, we would see those children running to their mother with smiles and hugs. This was natural. They didn’t need a day on the calendar to remind them. This was a home that loved, supported and helped each other.
I am thankful for so many daughters of God whose hearts are pure and righteous. Busy in the kingdom, the backbone of so many congregations, they love the Lord and serve His people. God bless them. Busy raising their families, doing just what they are supposed to do, but what an incredible difference they make. Many of us who stand behind pulpits every Sunday would not have become the people that we are had it not been for the sweet and godly mothers in our lives.
My mom never got to hear me preach very often. As I began this journey long ago, she believed in me and for that I am thankful.
For all our moms, thank you!
Roger