Honor Your Mother

This weekend we will observe Mother’s Day. In Ephesians 6:3 Paul reminds his readers that honoring our parents is one of the ten commandments and the first with a promise: that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to enjoy a long life that goes well!

So what is the best way to honor your mother? This can take many different forms depending on your family’s traditions and customs. When I was growing up, my father always made sure there were red flowers for my brother and me to wear to church in honor of our mother. We went out for lunch and gave our mother cute cards, usually made in Sunday School. My mother would wear a red flower on Sunday and send a card to her mother earlier in the week. Our grandmother lived far away from us. Mama would call her on Mother’s Day and have a pleasant visit. My father’s mother died when he was a child, so he always wore a white flower in his lapel when we went to church on Mother’s Day.

My own first Mother’s Day was just three days after our first child was born. We came home from the hospital on Saturday, and the next day Chris presented me with a big Mother’s Day card! Today my own mother is deceased, and I miss her greatly. My children are spread far and wide. When they ask what I would like for Mother’s Day, I tell them that just knowing they are living healthy, happy lives is enough of a gift for me.

Honoring your mother looks different at different stages of life as well. As a child, doing what you are told honors your mother. As an adult, you might find yourself pinched between honoring your own mother and being honored by your children. As you grow older and see your mother in need of care, honoring her may mean caring for the one who cared for you in a way that preserves her dignity while also meeting her needs. Honor has many faces; which one do you wear as a family caregiver?

We hope you’ll join us this week at Heart of the Caregiver and share your heart about how you will honor your mother this week and in the weeks to come.