It's Mother's Day...

It is Mother’s Day week.  We tend to at least acknowledge all the TLC that our mothers gave us.  Granted, many people have unfortunate experiences or memories around the subject of motherhood.  I have been personally touched by friends unable to have children. Others have had bad memories of a mom who wasn’t life-giving to them. If this is you, you are loved and thank you for your kind understanding as I write today. You have my deepest hopes for healing and wholeness.

It is true that generally, motherhood is a design from heaven. Why not celebrate this through our wives? A part of kingdom living is to bring new creation, beauty, hope, and wholeness to everyone in the sphere of our influence.  So, join me in adding value to the quality of the life of the mom at your house.  So husband/dad, for this week, cherish your wife/mom in a special way.  Write her a love/thank you note beyond the usual, “roses are red, violets are…”  Or, cook a meal without having to ask for instructions while providing a stay-at-home spa for her, alone, without you or the kids. Or, be more creative than me, just Google something neat. The point is that to “love and cherish” are vows of two different kinds. Focus on Cherish.  Mom’s tend to get pulled on, rubbed out, and just run down from giving. Cherish that fact in them. Pour back into them through appreciating and noticing.  Now, this should not be only once a year, but Mother’s Day is an opportunity to give it a try.

Gary Thomas writes and speaks on the subject of cherishing, and he has a great article published in Focus on the Family. The link is below. I truly hope you will read it. In the article, he refers to a gentleman he met who had been married twice due to the death of his first wife and became a case study on cherishing. Sadly, he noted that he had taken the blessing of his first wife for granted. He said that they both were wonderful, beautiful people, but he was different.  He confessed that his deliberate cherishing of his second wife had led to his own joy and added true happiness into their marriage. Take Gary’s advice, “instead of trying to change your wife (mom at home), change your attitude.”  This is a great gift.

Barry

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/what-cherishing-your-spouse-really-means/