May 10th is the day set aside on the calendar to honor mothers. Over the years I have been honored on Mother’s Day in various ways.
It started with an “I love you, Mommy” and a fistful of dandelions from a toddler. I have never understood why anyone would spray their yard to kill dandelions. These flowers hold so many precious memories for me.
Then, when the kids were in grade school, I was honored with lots of handmade gifts on this special day. I especially loved the handprint pictures and the flowers in milk cartons.
The teenage years were a bit more hit and miss in the honoring department. I remember one Mother’s Day coming home from a weekend trip and finding flowers from my teenage sons. I felt so honored and proud of my boys. Years later, I heard the rest of the story. My little darlings had bought the flowers at a gas station because they had stayed out way past their curfew and figured if I found out about it, the flowers would soften the punishment. Why do these kids feel the need to tell all and spoil our illusions once they are out of the house?
The Mother’s Day gifts of flowers, cards, and eating out are nice, but they are the world’s view of how to honor mothers. God’s view can be found in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” It says nothing about once a year in May to do this, but this is something we should do every day.
How do we honor our mothers every day? I think all mothers want the same two things from their children – Love and Respect. I also think all mothers should be treated this way not only because it is the right thing to do, but more importantly, because God commands it.
It started with an “I love you, Mommy” and a fistful of dandelions from a toddler. I have never understood why anyone would spray their yard to kill dandelions. These flowers hold so many precious memories for me.
Then, when the kids were in grade school, I was honored with lots of handmade gifts on this special day. I especially loved the handprint pictures and the flowers in milk cartons.
The teenage years were a bit more hit and miss in the honoring department. I remember one Mother’s Day coming home from a weekend trip and finding flowers from my teenage sons. I felt so honored and proud of my boys. Years later, I heard the rest of the story. My little darlings had bought the flowers at a gas station because they had stayed out way past their curfew and figured if I found out about it, the flowers would soften the punishment. Why do these kids feel the need to tell all and spoil our illusions once they are out of the house?
The Mother’s Day gifts of flowers, cards, and eating out are nice, but they are the world’s view of how to honor mothers. God’s view can be found in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” It says nothing about once a year in May to do this, but this is something we should do every day.
How do we honor our mothers every day? I think all mothers want the same two things from their children – Love and Respect. I also think all mothers should be treated this way not only because it is the right thing to do, but more importantly, because God commands it.
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