Mother's Day Danger

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies, grandmas, and great-grandmas! There is something special about having a day set aside to make an effort to show love for our mothers and the mothers close to us. It is convenient to get a card, swing by the flower shop, enjoy a family meal, and feel as if we have loved our moms. It is convenient, but is it biblical?

The danger with holidays like Mother's Day is that rather than being a bonus day of showing honor and love, they become the annual day to actually honor and love...they can become our check-box for loving our parents.

The Bible is not silent when it comes to the children's relationships to parents. When we read "honor your father and mother" in Ephesians 6:2, the verb Paul uses is an ongoing command. We could read that verse "keep honoring (a Christian life habit) your dad and mom." The Proverbs 31 mom is also the beneficiary of continual praise and honor from her husband and children (Prov. 31:28). So there is a theme in Scripture that moms are to be loved, honored, and held in high regard as a lifestyle, not a holiday.

Today we have an opportunity to join the culture around us in publicly loving our mothers. Tomorrow we have an opportunity to shine as lights in the darkness through persistent Christ-centered love for mom, grandma, and great-grandma. So, lets commit to actively loving our moms today and tomorrow for the glory of God! May they receive our love and deflect all glory to your gracious Lord (Rom. 11:33-36).