Mother’s Day!!!
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, one of the greatest preachers and Christian writers, had 4 sons and they were all preachers. Someone once came into the drawing room when all the family was there. They thought they would see what Howard, one of the sons, was made of, so they asked him this question: “Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your family”? Howard had a great admiration for his father and he looked straight across at him and then without a moment’s hesitation, he answered, “Mother.’
Oh, yeah. Mothers have power. They love us, care for us, and sacrifice for us, and because they do, we listen. They carry a uniquely acquired authority because of that love. The value of a godly mother lasts for generations. The impact of a woman who lives her life for the Lord and her family can be seen generations later.
This is Mother’s Day, a day set aside to honor our mothers. The holiday was born out of one woman’s desire to honor her mother’s life of sacrifice and grace.
Born in 1864 in Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis witnessed the aftermath of the Civil War through a child’s eyes. Her mother, Anna Maria Reeves-Jarvis, had spent the war organizing women to nurse wounded soldiers from both the North and South, and generally attempting to hold her border state community together. After the war, Anna Maria started “Mothers’ Friendship Days” to reconcile families that had been divided by the conflict.
Throughout her life, Anna Maria modeled the ideals of Victorian motherhood. She gave up her dreams of college in order to tend to an older husband and four children. She bore the loss of seven other children with grace. She taught Sunday school in the local Methodist church for 20 years and stayed active in benevolent work.
Anna Maria’s death in 1905 devastated her daughter. Two years later, Anna got the idea to begin a holiday remembering her mother, and all mothers, whom she felt could never be thanked enough.
Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 in Grafton (where Anna grew up) and Philadelphia (where she lived as an adult). Later, in a resolution passed May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. Exodus 20:12 NASB
Today, do something special to honor your mother. If you can’t see her on this special day, call her and let her know you love her. For many of you, your mother is gone. How about telling or retelling a story about her to your family on this day? Make sure she is honored this Mother’s Day. For you and for her, it will be a blessing.