Moms Matter

Proverbs 31 provides a wonderful picture of the roles that God has ordained for women, and on this Mother's Day weekend, can help us to appreciate the incredible contributions that mothers make.  Here's a passage from that book of Proverbs:
26She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.27She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.28Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:29"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."30Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.31Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Moms matter - that's a phrase that we can take with us into this Mother's Day weekend.  Because, I think in so many cases, we can think of ways where our mothers have spoken into our lives, when they have shown us wisdom, and when they have just been there for us.  The calling and the work of a mom cannot be understated, and we can take time to affirm their incredible contributions to our lives, our families, and to the culture.

I appreciate the work of Tim Challies, a noted author, pastor, and blogger, who now has a monthly column in River Region's Journey magazine - he adds to the excellent company I keep as part of the writing team for that publication, including Kim Hendrix, who hosts Shine Saturday and Sunday afternoons on Faith Radio, Dave Ramsey, and Mike and Lisa Conn.   He mines the 'net for interesting and sometimes provocative stories, and today, he offers a link to a heartwarming list of "Secrets Mothers Know," from the blog, Your Mom Has a Blog. 

So here goes - the words of wisdom are short, so I can move through them all:   (I have emphasized some of the most meaningful for me.)

1. No child ever cried himself to death.

2. “Because I said so” is a wise and complete reason.

3. When Daylight Savings Time ends, we can put the kids to bed way earlier.

4. Bribery is a necessary and legitimate part of child-rearing

5. A period of mourning is appropriate when our favorite Nick Jr. show is cancelled.

6. Fruit snacks are more important than cash money.

7. Tools needed for potty training: cool underwear, a TV set, M&Ms.

8. We sometimes go an entire day without looking in the mirror.

9. Sleep is a non-essential

10. Magic Erasers changed everything.

11. Sometimes we say “no” just because we can.

12. Christmas is more fun as a mother than it was as a kid.

13. Time speeds up when a child is born.

14. Our kids are the brightest, coolest, most beautiful, and most talented.

15. Baby wipes. In the car, in the house, in our purses. They are our friend.

16. We hope the tooth falls out on its own.

17. A wildflower presented in a chubby little hand really does make us happy.

18. Loud is a subjective term.

19. “I would never…” is no longer part of our vocabulary.

20. The final answer to the question “Why?” is “Because that’s the way it is.”

I've been talking about this film, "Moms' Night Out," for over a year now, since I had the distinct pleasure of visiting a site where the movie was being filmed in Birmingham.   The female lead is played by Sarah Drew, who is one of the cast members of "Grey's Anatomy," the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, who has actually been a guest on The Meeting House.    She and I sat down on the set of the movie, at an indoor playground - in fact, the scene where Sean Astin is wheeled out on a stretcher was being filmed as Sarah and I chatted...needless to say, we had a lot of starting and stopping - here's the finished product:

Sarah definitely wants to send the message through this film that "moms matter"!

Here is an excerpt from a piece at the BostonHerald.com website:

“I think stay-at-home moms are the greatest unsung heroes in our culture today. They have the most incredible leadership jobs, and we don’t celebrate them. So this is an opportunity to hold them up and tell the world how unbelievably important their job is,” said Drew, whose son Micah is 2 and visits her at work only occasionally these days.

“The greatest surprise becoming a mother for me was I had a lot of fear that my life would change and I’d have to give up so much,” she said.

“Yes, I’ve changed, but it’s a change I have loved. The greatest surprise is recognizing I’m capable of doing so much more than I thought I was.”

Sarah was on The View this week with Patricia Heaton, and they discussed the film, as well as the role of motherhood.  Bottom line: moms matter, and this weekend, I encourage you to take the time to affirm and encourage a mother!