Mother’s Day is around the corner. Soon, we will again hear the clamor of those who sell cards, flowers, chocolates, etc. to buy their wares and convince mom that we do, indeed, appreciate her. Yet, does a succumbing to the commercial aspects of Mother’s Day truly spell appreciation, honor, etc.?
In this article I would like to focus on what we, the Christian Parents, can do to raise a child who will know to honor and appreciate mom year-round, 24-7, as part of a personal relationship, not with a duty-bound, perhaps even hollow, token effort in the month of May.
1. The Golden Rule
God exhorts us in Ephesians 6:1-3: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"--this is the first commandment with a promise: "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."
Thus, honoring mom is something that begins with us. It is not something that mom earns, that is somehow accumulated and tallied, but instead it is a charge that we, as (grown) children, must take serious. It is our duty to honor mom and to express this honor to her on a daily basis. If we fast-forward, we can easily see that we, now parents ourselves, set the stage for being honored and respected as well. If junior does not see us honoring mom, respecting her, and taking care of her, why would s/he feel compelled to treat us thusly? What would be junior’s incentive? Who would be her/his role model?
God very directly drives home this point in 1 Timothy 4:16, which states "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers."
Quite obviously, if we choose to teach our children to honor us on Mother’s Day, it must be done through the example of honoring mom ourselves in word and deed.
2. Anybody Have a Map?
Here are some practical suggestions on how we, the Christian parents, can teach our children to honor us, without lapsing into the hypocrisy of “do as I say/teach/demand, just please don’t do as I do/don’t”:
Find a mother to honor. If you do not have a mom yourself, find someone else who can be your spiritual “mom”. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 teaches that at church we are to view those women older than us as mothers. Hence, build a relationship with such a lady, she may be older than you physically or in the faith, and honor her as such. Motherhood is not limited to the physical aspect of the relationship.
Look for ways to serve the woman who gave you physical life, or who sustains your life spiritually. Make an effort to honor and serve her rather than complaining when she asks you to do something for her or others or, worse yet, by taking her for granted.
Invest your time and energy in prayer for this woman on a daily basis. Pray for her specific needs, wants, etc.
Make it a habit to encourage her. This could take the form of gifts, cards, phone calls, e-mails, outings, flowers, etc. Be creative! Go the “homemade” route whenever possible.
Most importantly: involve your child in all of this! Allow your child to help pick some flowers from your yard for her; allow your child to scribble something on the card you made/bought...even if it takes an hour for your child to do so; request your child to join you in prayer for her; allow your child to help you cook dinner when she comes over or have your child help bake cookies when you go to visit her.
If you persevere in these deeds, then, along with your teachings, not only will you live out the Scriptures that teach us to honor our mother, but additionally, you will teach your child what it means to honor mom by example! It will only be a matter of time before junior puts two and two together and begins to honor you in similar ways!
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This article was previously published at Suite101's "parenting christian" topic.