Mother’s Day message
Honouring Mothers (The Duty of Children towards Mothers)
Rev. Paukhanmang Guite
Texts: Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
Exodus 20: 12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
The first official Mother’s Day was celebrated at a church in 1908 in West Virginia. A woman named Anna Jarvis from Philadelphia, USA spearheaded the effort to bring about the celebration. It was with a desire to honour her mother, and celebrate her mother’s life that Jarvis started the event.
Both Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:1-3 instruct children to honour their parents. Honouring one’s mother – honouring one’s parents – is one of the Ten Commandments. Thus, honouring one’s mother is a fulfillment of one of the Ten Commandments. So then, what does honouring one’s mother entail? According to Biblical scholars, the word “honour” has four key actions:
1. Prize highly (Proverbs 4:8)
We should appreciate our mothers for the person that they are. We should acknowledge their deeds, and be thankful for what they have done for us. We must value their guidance, and view them as our glory, and not mock their limitations and inabilities but rather love them in it; place them above everything else for it is the commandment of God.
2. Show respect (Leviticus 19:30)
God commands us to “revere” our parents as we would “keep [His] Sabbaths, and reverence [His] sanctuary”. Disobeying or dishonouring of both is a serious offence, and leads to death and destruction, the Bible teaches. No matter where we are in life, we must respect our mothers, our parents. We should make them feel valuable by not being dismissive of them, or treating them like an inconvenience even when our values or words do not meet. Never say anything disrespectful, and honour them no matter who they are; God exhorts us to honour them.
3. Care for (Psalm 91:15)
“Love your parents and treat them with loving care. For you will only know their value when you see their empty chair.” Love your mother when she is young, love her when she is old; love her when she has so much to give, love her when she has nothing to give. Call your mother, take her out, reach out to her and make her feel loved and remembered. A mother’s sacrifices for her children and family must never be forgotten – realize that she has given them the best years of her life, and acknowledge her. We are commanded to love our mothers unconditionally. Therefore, we should remember her gratefully.
4. Obey (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
We should never be dismissive of and disrespectful to our mothers even if they are not always agreeable to our thoughts and feelings; always hear them out. Obey them like you obey God- do it because God commands you to. No matter how smart and successful one is, remember that we are where we are because of our mothers. No matter how diligent or noble one is in other areas of life, our future depends on honouring our parents. We must recognize the authority that God has given to them, and accept their discipline and instruction. One should treat one’s mother the way one would reverentially approach the heavenly God.
Dishonouring your mother is an important matter to God
Mistreatment of one’s mother will result in several grave consequences:
- Proverbs 30:17 “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.” God destroys those who curse and dishonour their parents; it leads to a tragic life and death.
- Proverbs 20:20 “Who so curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” The child will die in ignominy; eternal darkness envelops him/her.
- Deuteronomy 21:18-21 “18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will never obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” Death penalty is called upon those who are ungrateful, arrogant, and disrespectful towards one’s mother and father.
- Exodus 21:15-17 “15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. 17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” God has cursed all those children who dishonour their fathers and mothers.
George Herbert once said, “One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters.” There is no one else on earth who can take the place of a mother- none who is worthy of our respect and honour than our mothers. “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother”, said Abraham Lincoln. Remember that mothers are the source of blessings- that we should never underestimate the power of a praying mother. And this day forward, we shall make an effort to be appreciative of, and respectful and heedful to our mothers. It is the respect we give to our parents that earns us the blessings we receive. All of us – young and old – have mothers and it is our duty and responsibility to love, obey, and respect them, and give them our highest regard.
DEW | May 12, 2019 Photo Gallery
