A Mother’s Love

Reid Tait

Midland SDA Church

May 11, 2013

We discuss whether I should go on the camporee of not.  Ardith had just had our fourth child Weston and in Ardith’s usual style said go ahead the baby and I will be alright.  There is nothing that you can do here.  So off to the camporee with the Midland pathfinders I went.

When I got back, I headed to the hospital to pick up Ardith and the new baby.  When I arrived I headed for the maternity ward where I was greeted by her sister Gerry who’s long face told me everything was not alright and the words “I have some bad news!”  My mind went into high gear with thoughts ranging complications numerous complications.  The problem was with an X-ray that was given in those days for TB.  She had a fuzziness in one spot in one lung.  So Ardith was in a room to herself and Weston was isolated.

Ardith was taken to Ann Arbor and I had a baby and three children to look after.  Ulah Thomas and the church ladies volunteered to watch the children and take over the total care of the baby day and night.  I decided to have Ulah Thomas take care of Weston during the day and I would watch him at night.  It did not take me long to realize that being a mother is not an easy job.   As they say “Being a mother is not a walk, in the Park.”

Bed set up beside ours, cloth dippers (no disposable dippers), powder, bibs, formula, towels, wash cloths for bottoms, safety pins (No Velcro), cute pajamas.  Weston was brought home in a basket—I sometimes wonder how he survived when compared with the modern baby devices.  Stanton, Brad, and Shannon are all willing to help up to a point that is. 

The Lord blessed us with a feeding time of about four hours. Ulah would feed him just before I picked him up and  I would feed him just before I went to bed and again at 2 AM and 6 AM.  I fed  the kids and got them off to school, and dropped Weston off at Ulah’s and headed to work.  This routine went on for several weeks at home while Ardith took up knitting in the hospital and bored to death.  Then it happened!

Everything started out as usual feed just before going to bed.  I am dead tired after weeks of being mother and dad, that I was awakened by the sun light shining through the windows.  The kid has died --I jumped out of bed and looked into those beautiful blue eyes and smiling face and thank the Lord for a whole child with ten toes, ten fingers, everything working, and a smile.  Mothers—it is hard work, but it is worth it.  Do we get an Aman?

Before we get into the message—here is some interesting information:

1.  By the time a child reaches 18, a mother has had to handle some extra 18,000 hours of child-generated work

2. Mothers pray a lot.  Sometimes they pray out of necessity.  Sometimes they pray because motherhood is not easy.  James Dobson tells about a time he came home when his son, Ryan, was a small baby.  It had been a terrible day for his wife.  Ryan had been sick and cried all day long.

a. Once, as she was changing his diapers, the telephone rang and Shirley reached over to answer it before fastening up his diapers.  Just then Ryan had an attack of diarrhea.

b. She cleaned up that mess and put him in clean, sweet-smelling clothes.  Then she took him into the living room and fed him.  As she was burping him he threw up all over himself, and her and the couch.

c. Dobson writes, “When I came home I could smell the aroma of motherhood everywhere.”  Shirley cried out to him,  “Was all of this in my contract?”

3. There was a father who was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter.  He got out their wedding album, thinking visual images would help, and explained the entire wedding service to her.  When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions.  She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked,  “Daddy, is that when mommy came to work for us?”

4. And work they do!  Mothers are teachers.  Mothers are disciplinarians.  Mothers are cleaning ladies.  Mothers are nurses and doctors and psychologist, and counselors and chauffeurs and coaches.  Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, and shapers of attitudes.

5. Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, “men are what their mothers make them” and an old Spanish proverb says, “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.”

6. Mothers are the soft voices saying, “I love you.”

7. Mothers are a child’s first impression of God’s love.

 There are many mothers mentioned in the Bible:

1.  Jesus’ mother Mary who saw His pain and could do nothing to comfort Him,  Elizabeth the mother of John, the sacrificial love of the mother who appeared before King Solomon who was willing to give her child to another woman rather than see any harm come to Him, the mother of Moses who cared so much for her son that she broke the law in order to teach him the faith of his people, and the mother of King Lemuel, who gave some advice to her son about godly living and how to pick a good wife, in Proverbs 31.

2. The mothers from the Bible we will be emphasizing will be a Grandmother Lois, a Mother Eunice, and a Boy Timothy.  After a couple years, Eunice and her husband had a baby boy who they named Timothy.  Eunice’s dad died so Unice and her husband asked her mother Lois to come and live with them.  Timothy was a delight to everyone.  Mother and grandmother spent hours with him, teaching him the stories of the Old Testament, praying with him and for him, and training him in the things of God.  They created an environment where he could grow to know God and waiting for the coming Savior Jesus Christ as for told in the Scriptures.

a. One day, a preacher named Paul came to their town of Lystra and spoke about a man named Jesus.  Both Lois and Eunice listened intently.  They saw in Jesus the fulfillment of al the promises in the Old Testament, and placed their trust in Him and were converted.  They in turn focused on teaching Timothy all about who Jesus was

b. We are going to draw from three different passages of Scripture two of which are found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy and the third Acts—to show how a mother and a grandmother can make a significant spiritual impact on her children.

c. READ 2 Timothy 3:12-15 Timothy learned from example and from the scriptures.  He didn’t just fill his head with truth, but internalized it and then lived it out.  He knew the scriptures because he learned them while he was very young—infancy even before he could walk or talk—DEBBIE SCHELL—Mothers, it is never too early to start teaching the Bible to your children and it’s never too late to start or at least try.  What kind of Bible reading are your children seeing?  (Lots—little—none)

d. Teach your children the joy of Bible study and with it will come respect for the Scriptures.

e. READ 2 Timothy1: 2-5  genuine faith (UNHYPOCRITICAL FAITH)  Moms and dads, if you want to your children to have genuine faith we will have to take our own faith seriously.  If we are just going through the motions of spiritually our children will see it.  As we demonstrate our faith consistently by reading the Bible, praying, attending worship, bringing our children to Sabbath School and church programs we are sending a strong message of the need for the church family and a strong relationship with Jesus.  We will have a genuine faith.

f. Brian Bill in his sermon “Mother’s Who Love”  writes:  The mother is more interested in :

i. Her children’s souls than in their bodies or in their clothes

ii. Her children’s eternal life than their success in this life

iii. Her children’s relationship with Jesus than their popularity in the world

iv. Her children’s standing before God than their social status

v. Her children’s spirituality than their intellectual, musical, or athletic accomplishments

g. Timothy’s family environment was fertile to his faith development.  Both his mother and his grandmother held their faith deeply and shared it freely.

h. READ ACTS 16:1-3

i. The other day Brenda stopped by your Adventist Community Service center.  Hayden saw the older men carrying in bags of clothing and boxes and wanted to help.  He politely asked if he could help and we said yes and he helped bring in the ladies items that she wanted brought in.  Thanks again Hayden.

ii. Paul needed someone to go with him and Timothy was eager to minister.  He knew it meant leaving home and he knew it meant facing hardship—yet he was eager to go.  in Philippians 2:20, Paul latter writes “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.”  Paul called Timothy “own son” and “beloved son”

iii. Mothers, part of your job is to instill a respect for the Bible, another is to instill an authentic faith and the third a desire to minister.  All of us are “saved so we can serve.”

iv. It is said of Susannah Wesley, a mother of 17, two of which were John and Charles Wesley, spent one hour each day praying for her children.  In addition, she took each child aside for a full hour each week to discuss spiritual matters.  No wonder her children were used of God to bring blessing to all of England and much of America.  Here are some parenting guidelines that helped her as a mother:

v. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul.

vi. Teach the child to pray as soon as he can speak.

vii. Give the child nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.

viii. To prevent lying, punish no fault, which is freely confessed, but never allow rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.

ix. Commend and reward good behavior

x. Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.

3. Summary for mothers and fathers:

a. Pray

b. Teach and show respect for the Scriptures

c. Teach and demonstrate real authentic genuine Faith

d. Finally lead and practice Ministry to others

Out of WW 2 the story is told of Solomon Rosenberg and his family.  They were victims of the holocaust which took the lives of millions of people.  Solomon Rosenberg and his wife and their 2 sons and his mother and father were arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp.  It was a labor camp.  And the rules were simple.  “As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live.  When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated.”

Rosenberg watched his mother and father being marched off to their deaths, and he knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been frail.  Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of labor and search for the faces of his family.  When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another and thank God for another day of life. 

One day Rosenberg came back and didn’t see those familiar faces.  He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, and praying.  Rosenberg said, “Josh, tell me it’s not true.”  Joshua turned and said, “It is true, poppa.  Today David was not strong enough to do his work.  So they came for him.”

“But where is your mother?”  asked Mr. Rosenberg.  “Oh poppa,” Josh said, “When they came for David, he was afraid and he cried.  Momma said, “There is nothing to be afraid of, David, and she took his hand and went with him.”  Always remember that there is nothing to be afraid of brothers and sisters when Jesus takes our hand and leads us through life.  There is one God—There is on Savior Jesus Christ our Lord.

I want to close this morning worship by reading a poem entitled, “My Mother.” 

My Mother

Your love, I know—I’ve seen your tears;

You’ve given to me my life.

You’ve walked through hours and days and years

Of heartache, toil and strife.

To see that I could have the best

That you could give to  me,

You gave up needs and often rest__

You viewed eternity.

To do His will my highest call

And by your special care

I stood and walked and did not fall,

You held me up in prayer.

Though strands of gray may brush your hair,

And miles divide our way,

I know that by your quiet prayer

You’ve helped me day by day.

You’ve shown me how to give, to share

To put my own needs last.

You’ve helped me see and be aware

That life is so soon past.

To spite your love I would not dare,

For there’s not another

Who spreads her gentle love and care

Like you-My Loving Mother

HAVE A BLESSED MOTHERS DAY.