All The Right Stuff - A Mothers Day Message for all you Moms

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Updated 9 years ago

I want to start by saying Happy Mothers Day to all you moms and moms to be. If you read my profile, you know I am a pastor. I stay away from posting any religious blogs here iaw. the policy of WA. However, I feel that part of this mornings sermon I am preaching is applicable to every thing we do in life - and its the hand of mothers that have shaped the greatest men in history. Here is the brief sermon - no scripture, etc. (All scriptural references removed.) (You can PM for a complete copy).

All the Right Stuff

We are living in a day and hour in which our school systems talk about motherhood in terms of a biological function and not in terms of character development. The health classes in our public schools are mostly dealing with how a woman becomes pregnant, preventing pregnancy and sexual diseases, and the hormonal drives that work to produce children. Our schools may teach things about diapering a baby, how to nurse, how to feed, and basic practical functions, however they say or teach almost nothing about the character of being a good mom. So often the most important elements of good parenting are completely ignored! Such things as faithfulness, compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrificing, encouraging, or spirituality, etc.; they are not even dealt with.

In being a mom, the right stuff is more than just biology or ensuring the practical needs are being met. The great qualities of character is what makes a great woman, or a great mom. For that matter, it is what makes a great person in God's eyes. The Bible teaches us that godly character can weather the rough times in life and it can transform the lives around us.

I. TRUE CHARACTER

A. Compassion

She is described as "well-to-do" … a woman of means.
Her wealth however had not corrupted her, notice that she asks her husband to provide a room for the traveling man of God.
It is also interesting to note that she could tell that he was a genuine man of God, she knew the real from the fake.

There doesn't seem to be any ulterior motive for making a place for the prophet either, she does not ask anything from him, nor expects anything in return for the use of the room.

This is a woman who cares about others.
She sees wealth as an opportunity to bless others and not just to hoard things for her own needs.

Already her character is showing through.

B. Contented

1. She is asked what could be done to reward her kindness.

not once does she ask anything back for the kindness shown to him.
Proof that her kindness had no ulterior motive.

2. Rather than be consumed about her own needs she simply enjoys ministering to others, the true heart of a mother!

Countless times each day a mother does what no one else can do quite as well. She wipes away a tear, whispers a word of hope, eases a child's fear. She teaches, ministers, loves, and nurtures the next generation of citizens. And she challenges and cajoles her kids to do their best and be the best. But no editorials praise these accomplishments - where is the coverage our mothers rightfully deserve?

3. Her response to the request to do something for her in return for her kindness is quite telling about her character, she says, "I have a home among my own people."

What she simply meant was "I'm just fine, I have everything I need already and I am contented and happy."
One can sense that this woman would be happy poor or rich!
She had godly contentment already.

4. This was extraordinary especially in light of the fact that she was childless, a terrible state for a woman of that time, yet she asks for nothing, not even a child.

In that day a woman could be scorned for not having produced a child, but she does not complain even about this.
Her life was focused on what she has and not what was lacking.

C. Careful

Here is a woman who should be a mom, she already possesses the right stuff!
Obviously her pain over being childless is real, obvious from her response, "Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid."
This was not doubt, just the reaction of hidden pain unexpressed before and now brought out in the possibility that perhaps it could yet happen.
Her response simply reveals deeply hidden emotions, and the fear that her hopes might be raised only to be unrealized, a thought she couldn't face.

Notice that even in these moments she is careful about her own character … she is called to his room, but she does not enter, she only stands in the doorway so there is no question about improper contact with another man.

She avoids even the appearance of evil.
"So he called her, and she stood in the doorway."
Notice she never enters the room … with another man alone in the room and her husband probably out in the fields she does nothing to compromise her moral integrity.

3. This was a woman who paid attention to details of integrity … exactly what a godly person should do!

The statue of Liberty was built in the late 1800's. The craftsmen who worked on it paid as much attention to the details on the top of the stature as they did to the rest of the statue though at that time there was no way for anyone to ever notice it; no planes flew at that time, no high rises, etc. It wasn't until the early 1900's when airplanes were able to fly above it that people noticed the exquisite details and beauty of the top. The workmen that had built it earlier could have argued reasonably that such detail on the top wasn't even necessary but they were more than craftsmen, they were artists, so all details were important whether they were seen or not. Such should be our lives. - Author Unknown

4. This woman would not sacrifice details of integrity even in an emotional moment; this demonstrated strong discipline.

5. A life cannot be lived without such discipline, especially during emotional moments.

We should always be careful with our lifestyle.
We cannot let our guard down for even a few moments.

II. TESTED & CONFLICT

A. Calamity!

1. Her hidden desire to be a mom is answered and in keeping with the woman has a baby, a son.

A son was a double blessing for it meant the continuation of the family name.
Her inward anguish is removed and she is blessed beyond expectation.

2. In the midst of her heart's desire however the unspeakable occurs!

Her only son has some kind of attack in his head and he collapses.
The text suggests something like an aneurysm bursting in his head.
It would lead to his death in a short period of time.

3. The father simply tells his servant to take him to his mother … perhaps he thought it not that serious.

When her son is brought to her she sets him on her lap and holds him until noon when tragically the boy dies!
A mother's greatest fear is realized, her only son is dead!
There was nothing she could do … except go to God!

4. The greatest crisis cannot break her faith, and the next events prove this.

Mom, (or dad!) … what do you do when calamity hits your family and your life?
God can be trusted in all circumstances.

B. Courage

1. She takes her dead son up to the prophets room and lays him on the bed.

She is not yet ready to give up, what she can't do she will seek for God to do.
She shows courage in the midst of calamity!

2. She approaches her husband to go get the prophet … but he thinks it not that important … she avoids telling him about their son's death because she knows perhaps that he can do nothing and so why frustrate him until she has heard from God.

She will not allow God to be limited by anyone in this situation.
When her husband seems unwilling to go she saddles up the donkey herself and gets her servant to take her to find the prophet.

3. As she approaches the prophets servant is sent to greet her and ask why she had come, if everything was well at home with her husband and child and amazingly she says "everything is all right."

Why did she say this?
She did not want an intermediate like Gehazi to deal with her, she wanted to go as directly to God as possible.

4. When she comes to the prophet she throws herself at his feet and cries out, her anguish obvious in her statement: "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

This isn't doubt, just emotions pouring out.
If she had doubted she would not have sought out the prophet.
But she is in distress, but came to the right source.

5. Elisha seems amazed that God had hidden the need from him, but never the less he says that Gehazi will come with his staff and lay it on the boy for healing. 2 Kings 4:29

However, this won't do for her, she wants Elisha to come himself, she wants nothing less than God's trusted servant to touch her son.
She would take no chances with someone else but the proven character of God's servant.
Elisha agrees to come, and sure enough, Gehazi's attempt fail before they get there, yet this does not faze her faith.

6. Sure enough, once Elisha gets there he begins to pray and intercede and God heals the boy and returns him back to life again.

7. Her joy is returned and her faith rewarded … her courage was not unfounded.

III. TESTIMONY CELEBRATED

A. Challenges

1. Though she passed through one extreme test of faith and calamity it was not a guarantee that she would not face another … this is life!

Sure enough, another tragedy strikes, famine is coming to the land.
She is instructed on how to survive this newest of trials.

Blind skiers were featured in the 1988 winter Olympics. How did they ski being blind? They were paired with sighted skiers who would simply yell, "LEFT" or "RIGHT" when the time came to turn, and the blind skiers obeyed without question! Their obedience brought reward. When we can't see what God is doing we can still listen to His Word, and what it says we must obey if we want the journey to end correctly. The only safe way down the mountain when you are blind is to obey without question!

Their obedience likely saved them from greater disaster.
Obedience meant some discomfort, but not disaster.
oThey had to live among strangers, the Philistines.
oThey would be away from their home and property for a long time.

4. Upon returning at the end of the 7 years in exile they faced yet another difficult situation, all the land and property had been confiscated in their absence.

They have to beg for the return of what was rightfully theirs.
Here again they are challenged, after this many years it would be difficult to get back their former stuff.

B. Compensation 8:5-6

1. At the very moment the Shunammite woman comes to the king to ask for everything back it just so happens that the prophets servant was there telling the king about the prophet's ministry at raising her son from the dead.

How many of you know that this timing was not an accident?
The king gets to meet the mother of the miracle. The king is so impressed and amazed that he immediately assigns someone to look into her case and get everything back … and even more than that!
"Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now."
She not only gets back everything she had before but she gets back the income from the land over the 7 years they were gone!
There was no loss at all; in fact, though they were gone and others did the work they benefited 100% of what they thought they had lost as income over the 7 years absence.