BE NICE TO YOUR MOTHER!
Proverbs 31:10-31

Introduction: Mothers' day was started by Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948). In 1908 she organized the first Mothers' Day, to be observed in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia. From there it spread to Philadelphia and other cities, and in only six years it was so popular that President Woodrow Wilson was authorized by Congress to proclaim an annual national Mothers' Day. Many famous people have commented on how important their mothers were in their lives:

George Washington: "The greatest teacher I ever had was my mother."

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Men are what their mothers make them"

Henry Ward Beecher: "The mother's heart is the children's classroom...what the mother sings to the cradle, goes all the way to the grave."

Winston Churchill: "If we want to change our nation, begin by enlisting the mothers."

Andrew Jackson: "The memory of my mother and her teachings were the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way."

D. L. Moody: "All that is good in my life, has come from her; and I have never come near Northfiled (where his mother lived) that I have not gotten anxious to reach home, that I might see my mother."

When French sculpter Frederic Bartholdy created the Statue of Liberty, he molded the face of the statue after the face of his own mother.

In Proverbs 31:10-31 Solomon paints a beautiful word picture of the ideal mother and wife. I shall read it for you now....

There are a million reasons to be kind to your mother. Your mother gave birth to you.
In our time, she could have had you killed, legally, before you were born, with the approval of society. But she decided to let you live.

She sacrificed her money to buy you food, clothing, medical care, baby furniture, toys, pets and so on. Several hundreds of thousands of dollars over twenty years.

She sacrificed her social life and her career to take care of you. She could have been having fun shopping, hanging out with friends, going on dates, dancing, movies, concerts, sports, and so on. She could have continued in college and got advanced degrees, and had an exciting career.

She sacrificed her dignity to take care of you. Instead of wearing pretty clothes, and avoiding messes and bad smells, she wore old clothes, changed diapers, cleaned dirty bottoms, fed and cleaned up after a burping vomiting squalling angry baby.

She sacrificed her time and her health for you. She met your angry demands 24 hours per day. She helped you to sleep, when she herself was exhausted by your selfish crying. She spent years molding her schedule around yours, to care for you, protect you, and meet your needs. She ran "mom's taxi" and took you to school, to the doctor, to sports events, and anywhere else you needed to go. She gave up her freedom to be the servant of an uncaring child.
She gave you her unconditional love. Washington Irving wrote: "A mother's love endures through all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a mother still loves on." She cares, she watches, she listens to what you say. When you fail at something, her heart bleeds for you. When you are successful and happy, she rejoices for you. When you talk back, or insult her, or carelessly ignore her, you break her heart. (See Erma Bombeck's article.)

In Proverbs 31:28, we read that not only is a good woman praised by her own works, but that her children and her husband should rise up and praise her. Today is Mothers' Day. Let's make a big deal out of it. Let's stand up as a mark of honor. Let's tell our mothers and wives how much we admire them, and how much we appreciate all they have done for us.
We should praise our mothers often and well, while we still have the chance. There are many in the congregation today whose mothers have died and are in heaven. You would like to hold them in your arms, and kiss them, and tell them you love them, but your chance to do that is gone. (Read the Dear Abby letter.)
: Be nice to your mother. Be nice to your wife. Treat them with honor and respect and appreciation. There is a poem that we often read about children, which is entitled: "Children Learn What They Live." Today would like to edit it a little bit, and dedicate it to the mothers and wives in our congregation:

WOMEN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE...
If a woman lives with criticism, she learns to condemn.
If a woman lives with hostility, she learns to fight.
If a woman lives with ridicule, she learns to be shy.
If a woman lives with shame, she learns to feel guilty.
If a woman lives with tolerance, she learns to be patient.
If a woman lives with encouragement, she learns confidence.
If a woman lives with praise, she learns to appreciate.
If a woman lives with fairness, she learns justice.
If a woman lives with security, she learns to have faith.
If a woman lives with approval, she leanrs to like herself.
If a woman lives with acceptance and friendship, she learns to find love in the world.

May God help each of us to praise and appreciate our wives and our mothers. Amen.