Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. -- Proverbs 31:28
Is that what you envision when you think of Mother's Day?
I'm sure my mother's hope of fulfilling that Scripture collapsed early on when the police arrived at our door
early one Saturday morning. While walking around the neighborhood, my cousin and I had decided to throw rocks
at the windows of a green house. I confessed, and was disciplined. My parents arranged for the windows to be
replaced. The following morning, they received another phone call. Further on our walk, we happened upon a home
with newly poured cement. I decided to write an obscenity in the wet cement. My embarrassed parents
immediately talked with the owner. My father was taken to where the cement was being repaired. The offensive
words had been erased, but the owner told my parents what had been written--Oh, and that I had also signed my
name.
Mother's Day arrived, and I'm sure my mother was feeling like a failure. How could I have done such willful
damage? She had no explanation, and neither did I. I heard my mother say after church that Sunday morning,
every truth to illustrate my failures as a mother. I was crushed.
Then when we arrived home, our next door neighbor was waiting in the driveway; "someone" had damaged her
chimney by clogging it with rotting apples. I could see that my parent's hearts fell again as they heard yet another
story. I had some friends over the previous evening, and the three of us decided to send one (guess which one)
over to stuff rotten apples down my neighbor's chimney. By the look on their faces, they were mortified.
My parents made me face each accuser, and I confessed and apologized, Then I had to write follow-up letters.
Mom and Dad worked together on how I would pay for the damages and what my punishment would be. And I'm
sure they agonized over how this had all happened.
It was a painful and embarrassing time (for me and my parents. ) I'm sure they cringed for weeks every time
the telephone rang.
However, many Mother's Days have since passed. Thankfully, my mother would not encounter another one as
devastating. But, many times,. I'm sure she questioned her mothering successes.
My mother can honestly say she didn't raise trophy children. My sisters and I are just human. Humans with
issues. Humans who struggle and sin. Yet humans who are valuable because we are God's creation.
I hope my mother's expectations of Mother's Day have changed. I hope she can measure her success as a
mother by a different standard now. And that is - her children love her, and she loves us.
Maybe you are the struggling mother this year. Sometimes your children, young and old, make choices that are
not in line with how you raised the. A wrong choice, or even a series of wrong choices, should not make you lose
hope.
Mothering is an important and difficult job. Do he best you can. Enjoy moments of triumph and successes.
Learn from the tough moments. Most of all, don't give up. The end of the story is yet to come.
Happy Mother's Day!
Pastor Steltzer