|
||
|
● As is typical, I always like to begin by participating in the ancient practice of ‘corporate responsibility’; so, on behalf of children everywhere, “Moms, I’m sorry”. ● I came up with (9) things that you’ll likely never hear a mom say… - "Wow, how can see the TV sitting so far back?" - "I don't have a tissue with me ... just use your sleeve." - “Hey, honey, go show your grandma how loud you can belch! She’ll think it’s cute.” - “Honey, drinking all that milk can’t possibly be good for you; have you ever had a Red Bull?” - "Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too." - "Hey, let me smell that shirt -- Yeah, it's good for another week." - "Well, if Jimmy’s mom says it's okay to run with scissors, that's good enough for me." - “Hey, you know what we should do later? Bungee jump!” - "Honey, the curfew is just a general time to shoot for: 10 p.m., 2:00 a.m. … let’s not get caught up in all the specifics.” ● I’m always a bit conflicted on occasions such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: I realize it’s more of a ‘Hallmark’ moment than a sacred one. ● I realize that there are moms in all seasons of life represented here: 1) newer moms filled with excitement and anticipation, 2) moms with adolescent children- each day is a flurry of activity, 3) moms with teenagers fall into two categories: celebrating ‘independence’ (yours and theirs), or actually contemplating ‘having another one’ (I love all the thought put into those kind of decisions: we talk about ‘having another’ like it’s a soda refill or another trip to the salad bar), 4) moms with adult children- empty nesters! 5) moms now parenting (caring for) their parents, 6) “childless moms”- feeling that you had so much to offer. ● My thoughts about moms took me to some letters that this guy named “Paul” had written addressing churches, but targeted at this young man named Timothy. Timothy is not a real ‘predominant’ Bible character, and you might assume that Timothy was sort of ‘Paul’s project’; that what he is, he owes to Paul. Paul willingly acknowledged Timothy’s role and attributes much of what he was able to accomplish to Timothy’s loving-support (‘co-worker’, ‘constant companion’, ‘no one like him who is like-souled’). But, although Paul would recognize Timothy as a ‘son’, he often recognizes that the faith now resident in him far preceded their relationship. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 Paul reminds Timothy that the faith which currently resides in him is the result of other shaping influences from as early as ‘childhood’; people he could trust; people entrusted with nurturing faith. 2 Timothy 1:1-7 First, in Lois (grandmother) and then in Eunice (mother); Paul says that he is convinced that they were the source. ►Interestingly, although God is most often referred to as ‘father’, the first pictures of him come to us from our moms. How you take such great delight in your child and how that child becomes the object of your love even before it can understand a word you say or love you back; how your child is so utterly dependent upon you. Mother-child images so prevalent with the story of God which speak to “presence”; that nurture and care which transcends speech. ● So, Paul reminds Timothy that is was his mom that nurtured his heart; Timothy is being challenged to understand that what is now being manifested in his life was sown during his early childhood development. ►For me, personally, it was [Myrtle] and [Mildred]. ● My childhood recollections of my grandmother Myrtle [died when I was around 11 yrs. old]: she was 8 feet tall, kept her teeth in a dish by the bed, and always kissed me on the cheek with her mouth wide open, leaving me discreetly waiting for her to turn her back so that I might ‘towel-dry’ my face! But, beyond that limited childhood perspective, there was a faith in Jesus resident in my grandmother, Myrtle- a faith that was sown in my mother, Mildred. ● Mildred… “mom”… [she was the ‘mommy-template’] She was somewhat introverted, unassuming, kind, merciful and compassionate; she was passionate about nurturing faith in women and children. She was sensitive to the hurts of others and the promptings of God; she was incredibly resilient, unwilling to resort to criticism no matter how blatantly wronged and she learned how to suffer grace-fully [so that you won’t get the impression that she was ‘flawless’: she snored like a bear, she was prone, at times, to chew her food with her mouth open and she was a ‘phantom-breaker’ – was always trying to stop the car from the invisible break on the passenger floor-board]. ● People close to our family would tell me that when I was little, my mom used to ‘sit and cry’, because she didn’t know what to do with me [I’d like to think it’s because she didn’t know how to nurture the ‘gift’; the ‘tiny genius’ that lie within]. ● She was a mom given to prayer. Now this bugged me, because I knew that she always knew when I was up to something, and I was convinced that she was receiving this information directly from God! (I would often hear her at night in her bedroom talking to God about me; it was a conspiracy!) ● Throughout the years of my early education, she would lay her hands on me every morning before school and say a prayer over me; she would remind me of her love for me, she would ensure me that God would be with me while I was away, and that she was convinced that I was equipped for any challenge. ● I was reminded this week that my mom did (3) things well; things that I have noticed that moms do best: receive, embrace (bless), release ~ Receive… By receiving your children, you become identified with them (genius of Jesus’ ministry with people). You rearrange and reorder your life to make space for your children. Your presence lends itself to security and significance. Much of this nurture is accomplished without words. ~ Embrace… In embrace, you ‘restore their soul’ [renewal]; life has a way of ‘chipping away at our children’s soul’. It challenges their uniqueness, makes them ‘perform’ for recognition, champions ‘mediocrity’ and prevents In that context, you now speak blessing, pray and offer healing words; offering them a different image of God and themselves. In the safety of your love, you guide and correct, preparing them for… ~ Release… You willingly free them toward community; toward God and others. Your willingness to receive them has created confidence, your posture of embrace has restored them and prepared them for a preferred-future in their lives. ►You may have “done alright” without it, but your kids might not; make sure they don’t have to. Don’t waste such valuable time saying things like, “Well, nobody nurtured me; I didn’t hear those things from my mom”. ● This would be the ideal place/time to break the cycle; how often we aspire to greatness and to achieve a valuable legacy. What better way than to shape generations to come by your decision to bless your children. Paul reminds Timothy that his is a story of ‘grace’. ►Moms, if you are saved by grace, don’t expect your kids to be saved as a result of your flawless parenting skills! Being reminded of this will prevent you from accepting all the blame & from taking all the credit! Acts 16: Timothy’s mother is a Jewish believer and his father is a Greek, meaning that he was not part of the ethnic covenant family. Timothy’s shaping-influence would likely have been a mixture of Greek philosophy and Jewish theology. Paul recognizes this religious ‘half-breed’ misfit and says, “He’s perfect for the task”. Timothy’s work and influence is at the heart of the inauguration of the Christian faith. ►Grace says that God is at work in your children because of and in spite of what you have contributed. Sometimes that movement seems dramatic and more obvious, but most often all you are given are ‘flashes of faith’; glimpses of God’s work. “God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of love, power and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7) Timid, fearful, full of self-doubt (all accurate ways of describing me): by receiving me, my mom created security (no need to be afraid), by embracing me, my mother empowered me, and nurtured an approach to life ordered in and around God. ►Moms, you are a significant part of God’s plan for the nurture of your children, but, ‘you’re not all that’: you can’t be- you don’t have to be! Even Jesus’ destiny was not completely confined to Mary’s mothering skills. ● I’m sure it was easy to spot Mary’s SUV in the parking lot at the Nazareth Middle School, huh? ‘My kid’s an honor student’… ‘My daughter’s is citizen of the month’… ‘My kid is God’ [“That’s a little optimistic, don’t you think, Mary?”]
● Today, I share that faith,
due in large part to a grandmother named Myrtle and a mother named
Mildred. |
