HOW GREAT A MOTHER'S LOVE!

Mothers are teachers. Mothers are disciplinarians. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Mothers are playmates to their children. Some mothers are gardeners and landscapers. Mothers are laundry attendents. Mothers are helpers and sympathizers. Many mothers are family devotions leaders, counselors, and prayer warriors. Most mothers understand that baking cookies is much more important that washing windows. Mothers are doctors, nurses and psychologists, chauffeurs and coaches. Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, and shapers of the all- important attitudes. Mothers are soft voices saying, "I love you." Mothers are loud voices saying "clean up your room"! Most importantly, mothers are a vital link to their child's first impression of God's love. Mothers are ALL of these things and much, much more!

Today is Mothers' Day 2026, of course! In light of the partial but very significant job description above, I think it should be MOTHERS' YEAR ALL YEAR EVERY YEAR! I want to bless every mother and offer my special tribute to y'all today! Mothers are fantastic and awesome! My mother was truly a woman of God, of love, compassion, hospitality. She was unselfish and had a profound love and spiritual concern for each member of her family. My wife, Karen, is a loving, caring wife, a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Her love for God is unquestioned! She loves to see family harmony and unity lived out and she has an unquenchable desire for each family member to be in right relationship with Jesus and be students of the Bible and practicioners of personal prayer. In my eyes, she is amazing!

There is a Jewish Proverb that says, "God could not be everywhere so He made mothers." I do believe without hesitation that mothers have a special place in the heart of God! A mother's love and personal sacrifice are synonomous! Think about ALL the personal sacrifces your Mom has made for you personally, and be sure to genuinely thank her for them. She loves you so much that she does not keep a record of the number of sacrifices she has endured for you.

Erma Bombeck, the comedian, spoke of God in the act of creating mothers. She said that on the day God created mothers He found himself in overtime hours. An angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned and said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee and leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."

"Six pairs of hands," exclaimed the angel, "that's impossible." "It's not the six pairs of hands that concern me," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, 'What are you kids doing in there?' she already knows what they are doing in there." She has to have another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then, she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed up and communicate love and understanding, and even correction without saying a word."

"That's too much," said the angel, "you can't put that much in one model. Why don't you rest for a while and resume your creating tomorrow?" NO, I can't," said the Lord. "I'm close to creating someone very much like Myself. I've already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - and who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower." The angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely and said, "She's way too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You'd be surprised at how much this mother can do." "Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason, compromise and persuade."

Then the angel reached over and touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn't put that much in one model." "That's not a leak," said the Lord. "That's a tear." "What's a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well, it's for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, and for pride." "You're a genius," said the angel. The Lord said, "Oh, but I didn't put that there."

Erma Bombeck had God saying as He was fashioning a mother, "I am close to creating someone very much like Myself." That is why today is very special indeed - because we recognize that the love of a mother is the closest example we have to God's love! It is a love that goes through "the valley of the shadow of death" to bring life into being. It is a love that sacrifices itself over and over endlessly and would even dare to lay down its life for its own offspring, or even some other needy child.

The Prophet Isaiah appealed to a mother's love to offer encouragement to his people. God had revealed to him the upcoming Babylonian Captivity of his country Judah, and he offered the people there words of comfort before they were conquered in 586 BC. Then, to comfort them in their time of captivity, he gave these words and the following metaphor. "But Zion (Israel) said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me." "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you! Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. . . ." (Isaiah 49:14-16). This is perhaps the strongest expression of God's love in the Old Testament. Another Prophet, Jeremiah, declared God's message when he wrote, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).

You know it is absolutely amazing that whenever God describes the nature of His relationship with His people, He always speaks of it by comparing it to the most intense relationships that human beings have with one another. Did you ever notice that God never compares this relation-

ship to a business partnership, a neighbor or a casual acquaintance? God is always "our Father", or "like a Mother", or "a Husband", or "our Friend who is closer than a brother" and "one who lays down His life for us"! Yes, Indeed God's love is closely connected with a Mother's Sacrificial Love! She is so much like God in loving, caring and faithfulness, all expressed toward us! Have you thanked your mother, lately?

After all, her personal sacrifice began by sacrificing her own body by carrying you around in her womb for nine months. She fed and nourished you; she protected you with her own body before you ever saw the light of day. She kept on giving. She gave up sleep for the midnight feedings, changed your dirty diapers (often) and comforted you whenever you needed it. She gave up personal goals to help you achieve your goals. Ask youself how many times you got a new outfit or shoes and your Mom wore the same things, or how many times she gave you the last helping at supper when she may have still been hungry. That is so much like God! He gave up His Son because of His "motherly" love for you and me!

There is a true story out of World War II and the holocaust that took the lives of millions of Jewish people. This story is about Solomon Rosenberg and his family. Solomon, his wife, their 2 sons and hs father and mother were arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a labor camp and the rules were simple. "As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live. When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated."

Rosenberg watched his mother and father marched off to their deaths, and he knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been a frail child. Every evening, Solomon came back into the so-called barracks after his hours of intense 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 Solomon returned and did not see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, and praying. He said, "Josh, tell me it's not true!" Joshua looked up to his father and said, "It is true, poppa. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came and took him away."

"But, where is your mother?" asked Solomon. "Oh, poppa," he cried, "When they came for David, he was afraid and he kept crying. Momma said, 'There is nothing to be afraid of David,' and she took his hand and went with him."

On this MOTHERS' DAY, we say a sincere Thank You to you mothers for the sacrifices you have made and continue to make for us, and we celebrate your amazing love, and the motherly love of our God and Savior, who sacrified Himself for us! GOD BLESS YOU MOTHERS!