Jump Start # 602

Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise)”

Sunday is Mother’s Day. It is a time that kids draw home made cards, make a breakfast for Mom and try to give her the day off. It usually ends up giving her a greater mess that she has to clean up later, which somehow she doesn’t mind doing. I thought I’d take a couple of our Jump Starts and talk about Mom.

Our verse today shows us that God is pro-family. It is God who designed, defined and established what a family unit is. When Jesus came to earth, He came into a family. Within the Ten Commandments, immediately following the laws about God, came honoring your father and mother. Liberal, secular society has attempted to redefine the family unit. The aggressive homosexual agenda would want us to believe that what two men offer or what two women offer is just as good as what God designed. WRONG. First, we are not in the position of defining what God has set. It’s already done. I can go through life saying that 2 + 2 = 5, but I’m wrong. I can redefine colors, directions or words. I can be different. But at the end of the day, I look dumb. 2 + 2 will never be five. Never. I can say two men are married or a man and his dog are married or that I came from aliens or any other weird idea, but at the end of the day, I’m wrong. God has determined what a family is. Accept it or reject it, but you cannot change it. Secondly, we cannot improve upon what God has made. God does everything best the first time around. These strong agendas are nothing more than Satan’s gospel being accepted by those who do not know God. Satan wants to destroy the family and he’ll find those who will dance to his music.

Moms– they come in all sizes. We don’t get to pick our moms, maybe that’s good and maybe that isn’t. Mother’s Day for many isn’t a happy day. It’s a hard day for them.

First, there are those whose moms have passed away. The first mother day without mom is hard. My mom has been gone for a long time. She passed away at the age of 67, which is not that old, and is not all that far from me now. A lot has happened within my family since mom died. Two of my children have gotten married, another one will next year. We have a grandchild on the way. One of my sons preaches and he and I held our first joint gospel meeting a few weeks ago. Life moves on. Things happen. There has been many occasions that I wish I could have shared things with her. I know several folks whose moms have passed away recently. This day is hard. It’s hard to see others with their moms, and you can’t be with yours. It’s hard because you still want her to be around. In some ways a person may feel cheated. They may even get angry.

Second, there are those whose moms didn’t “mom” very well. They may have had issues, addictions, anger or sinful behavior that made growing up a real challenge. You mom may still be alive, but there are issues and differences. Maybe she has not accepted Jesus. Maybe she has left Jesus. The thoughts of our verse tug on your heart. You need to honor her, but it’s hard. She makes it hard. She loves to give guilt. She loves to play the victim. She loves to control your life and make it more stressful than what it is. It is hard being around her.

God’s words to us are not always easy. Honoring your parents is not qualified. He does not say, “Honor them if they are Christians.” Nor does it say, “honor them if they are honorable.” What about those who are not Christians? Honor them. What about those who are not honorable? Honor them. Just as David respected the office that King Saul held and understood that Saul was appointed by God, even though Saul was nearly crazy and was attempting to kill David, the position demanded honor and respect. David would not lift his hand against Saul. May we learn from that ourselves.

As our parents age, honor shifts from listening and loving and respecting them to actually taking care of them. There comes a time in their later years that they need the help of their grown children. This can become especially hard. Some have had to take the car keys away from aging parents. It was for their own safety. That’s hard and often comes with a battle. Some have had to make the difficult choice of finding an assisted living or a nursing home for their parents. The physical and medical attention that they need requires this decision. It’s hard. You feel in some ways that you are neglecting them or are abandoning them, but you’re not. You know deep inside that this is the best choice. Remember, even on the cross, Jesus told John, “Behold, your mother.” Jesus was taking care of His mother, even after He was gone. That job fell to the oldest son and Jesus was “honoring her” by doing this.

Tomorrow, I will write about the pleasant side of Mother’s Day. It is important for us to realize that many people have a hard time on Mother’s Day. Say a prayer for them. The Lord will help them, us, as He always does. Learn. Be the parent that you ought to be. Dump the baggage that you’ve been carrying all these years. Build strong relationships with your children. Walk with the Lord. Be an example for your children. Remember, the torch passes to us and from us to our children. Glorify God in all that you do.

Roger