Mother's Day: Remembering and honoring our moms

© Nicky Jacobs - Fotolia.com

Mother's Day is the day we honor our mothers. It is a day for remembering their sacrifices, for communicating our love and for blessing their lives as they have blessed ours. But for many, May 8th is also a day which conjures up a wide array of emotions and painful memories.

Perhaps growing up was difficult. Perhaps mom was not all you wanted or expected her to be. Perhaps she was not a significant presence in your life at all. Perhaps, you never even knew your mother.

One of the Ten Commandments is found in Deuteronomy 5:16, "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you." The essence of this commandment remains consistent throughout scriptures. There are no exclusion clauses. God does not allow us to withhold giving honor to our mothers because of any real or imagined failure on their part.

It can be difficult to give honor when we have weighed our mothers in the balance and found them wanting. But the truth is, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one. And if God's love has truly changed our hearts, we are not at liberty to disobey a direct commandment of the Lord. We are, however, able to ask for God’s help and strength to sincerely honor the woman who gave us life. And in doing so, we honor the Giver of Life.

So this Mother's Day if you find yourself estranged from your mother, why not ask God right now to do a miracle this year? Submit your past to Jesus. Ask Him to give you a new perspective on your upbringing and a new love for your mother, no matter what may have occurred. If you mean it, God will do it!