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I am told that the "Mother's Day" concept can be traced back to various times in history. For Christians, "Mother's Day" seems to have had its inception in England on a day they called "Mothering Sunday." Regardless of where this day had its origins, those of us who still have mothers alive or are married ought to not only thank God for these ladies in our lives, but also honor them on this special day. A lot of men could testify not only of the influence of a godly mother, but also the tremendous help of a loving, Godly wife. I think all too often in this hurried day and age we are living in that we can let these special ladies in our lives go unthanked and unappreciated as the years go by. When I think of Mother's Day, I also think of Proverbs 31 and consider what God wants all of us to learn and understand as to the great influence these ladies have in our daily lives. If you read this chapter, four things automatically come to mind in regard to the influence of these ladies on us.

l. Her Worth - Proverbs 31:10-12 - I think many of us, myself included, could ask the question, "Where would be without a good woman?" I would be afraid to answer that question. The help, the insight, and the trust they have given and shown to us is worth more than we could ever repay. Nobody could ever put a price on a good, Godly wife or mother!

2. Her Works - Proverbs 31:13-24 - It takes work to help raise a Godly family, and many times, because of the husband’s work schedule, the burden falls on the wife. I think of mothers such as Moses' mother who made sure that Moses was protected. Of Hannah who promised God that if she had a male child she would give him to the Lord. There is Timothy's mother and grandmother who set the example of faith that helped him as he got older. Mary was loyal to her son to the point of death. I wonder how many of us have ever realized the sacrifices our mothers have made for us, or the profound influence they have had on us.

3. Her Words - Proverbs 31:25-26 - As I look back over the years, I would have to say that both my mother and my wife have been tremendous encouragers to me. I have seen women, especially some pastor's wives, who love to live on the negative side of life.

It is no wonder that after a time that man is no longer serving the Lord, or he is even worse than the wife is! It would be interesting to see what we as sons and husbands have accomplished because of an encouraging word from a mother or a wife.

4. Her Witness - Proverbs 31:27-31 - It is of special interest to me that the Bible says in Proverbs 31:28 "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." About a month ago I was finishing up a meeting on a Friday night up north before heading down to North Carolina the next day for another meeting. Part way through my message a man walked in the back door, sat down, and then after the service came up and mentioned to me that we went to Bible college together over 30 years ago. As we caught up on all the years that had gone by I asked about his wife, as we had worked together in the same church while going to Bible college. With that question, he hung his head and said that she had just passed away. He then said, "There are a lot of things that I wish I had told her that I will never get the chance to now."

Friend, if you have a mother still living, if you are reading these words and are married, why not take the time now, while there is time, to pick up the phone and call your mother and tell her how much you appreciate and love her for what she did for you. Why not, right now, let your wife know how much you love her, and how much she has been a help to you. There will come a day when we wish we could say and do more for them!

Evangelist Bill Behrens
bbehrens2@juno.com