President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.”
It’s certainly true that no nation is ever greater than its mothers, for they are the makers of the next generation.
John Stiles wrote:
“I have worshiped in churches and chapels. I have prayed in the busy street.
I have sought my God and have found him in the waves of His ocean beat.
I have knelt in the silent forest in the shade of some ancient tree.
But the dearest of all my altars was at my mother’s knee.
God, make me the man of her vision and purge me of selfishness.
God, keep me true to her standards and help me to live to bless.
God, hallow the holy impress of the days that used to be And keep me a pilgrim forever to the shrine at my mother’s knee.”
I recently came across a true story that happened during the Holocaust. Solomon Rosenberg, his wife and their two sons were arrested and placed in a concentration camp. The rules were simple.
As long as they did their work, they were permitted to live. When they became too weak to work, they would be exterminated. Rosenberg watched as his own father and mother were marched off to their deaths and he knew that his youngest son, David, would be next because he had always been a frail child.
Every evening, Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of hard labor and searched for the faces of his family. When he found them, they would huddle together, embrace one another and thank God for another day of life. One day, he came back and didn’t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner sobbing and praying. “Josh, tell me it’s not true.” Joshua turned to his dad and said, “It’s true. Today David was not strong enough to do his work and so they took him away.”
Mr. Rosenberg then asked, “But where is your mother?” Joshua could barely speak and finally uttered, “When they came for David, he was afraid and cried and so mom took his hand and went with him.” That’s the kind of love that Hannah had for Samuel. You can read about her in the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible. Hannah was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her son. She loved him so much that she was willing to forgo a mother’s greatest joy–that of bringing up her son and having him around her. She was committed to do whatever it took for him to reach his godly potential.
If you read through the book of 1 Samuel, you will discover that Eli had three sons; Hophni and Phinehas were very evil and did some detestable things. It’s very interesting that their mother is never mentioned anywhere.
We don’t know if she died or if she was just not engaged as a parent. Samuel, on the other hand, was greatly impacted by his mother’s influence, and went on to become a significant individual in God’s redemptive history. Moms, you matter greatly to your kids and to the very future of our world.
Thanks, Mom…We love you.
www.tampajourney.com
Keith Chandler
Pastor, Journey Christian Church