Hey Moms, We’re Praying For You!

by Candace Cortez

There is a reference in the Bible, when Paul is writing to one of his favorites, Timothy, and he refers to Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) as being women of sincere faith, who passed that same passion on to their children. As a mother, I know this is the goal. Yes, my daily goal is simply keeping them alive (some days this is harder than others). My secondary goal is not emotionally damaging them by my own journey of growing up! But ultimately, my goal with parenting is to pass on my love of Jesus in a way that actually grows in the context of their own lives.

This is not easy. Mostly because I feel like the sand is quickly pouring through the hourglass, my kids are growing up, and we are losing the place in their lives as their primary influence. In the meantime, meals must be made, homework must be checked, and we have full-time jobs. We also have family to visit, social lives to maintain and holidays to celebrate.

I will be the first to admit, that I probably have enough time to do all the things I need to do, but I waste time doing things that I want to do or feel obligated to do. There are social pressures put on parents, on moms in particular, as our lives are on display. For generations, a mother’s success has been placed on the fruits of her children’s lives. Did your kid pass the test? Score the goal? Get into the good school? Somehow the pride we feel in our kid's accomplishments, manifests itself into pride in ourselves. Now that it’s possible to display every little win, not just the life-changers, the rush to win at things that aren’t actually winning is absurd. I should not feel like a failure as a mom because I spent 12 hours at work today while my Instagram feed is full of Saturday picnics. I should not feel like a failure as a mom because my kid came home with a not so 100% grade on a test, while my Facebook friend’s kid just got into an Ivy League school. Not every moment is a win. But every moment adds up. Sometimes we cannot appreciate the full picture when we are focused on this very minute.

So this is why we are praying for you moms. We are praying that you can honestly celebrate the wins in someone else’s family and life. We are praying that you can identify more wins, but do self-identify with either the wins or the loses. We are praying for regular and productive rest moments for you. We are praying that you would find confidence that God is involved in raising your kids as well…you’re not alone! We are praying for your marriages so that they will maintain a priority level in your lives. We are praying for those of you whose kids are far away, or not living well, that your relationship would be restored. We are praying for those of you who are a mom at heart but have never been able to have a child. We are praying for you to be able to pass on your love of Jesus to your children. We are praying for you because you probably are not praying for you enough. God sees you! And He loves you even more than you love your own kids. Happy Mother’s Day!

In Celebration of Moms!

by Tim Howard

This weekend our nation celebrates all mothers!

Anna Jarvis was the catalyst for this tradition of honoring mothers and because of her persistence – on May 9, 1914 by an act of congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Even prior to that decision, God gave us the Ten Commandments and the 5th commandment says: “Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long…” Ex. 20:12. It is the only commandment with a promise.

Being a mom is not so easy! One woman said: ‘‘before I was married, I had three theories about raising children. Now, I have three children and no theories.'' Can any of you moms relate to that?

If you want to be a mother you must be able control your emotions when you walk to your child’s room in the darkness of night and step on a bunch of Legos that your little one left in your path. It’s not easy!

If you want to be a mother you will be required to work long hours – give up your personal space – be on call 24/7 – get very few hours of sleep – receive little thanks and enjoy it. It’s not easy!

Someone compared a mother to Moses – A leading figure in the Bible who never entered the land of promise. They said: “Every mother is like Moses. She does not enter the Promised Land. She only prepares a world she will not see”.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the famous French sculptor, gave 20 years of devotion and raised $4 million to complete the Statue of Liberty: For over 130 years this statue has towered above Bedloe Island near the entrance to New York harbor. It’s the great American symbol of freedom. The French nation gave the USA this statue, but finding a model for the sculptor became quite controversial. She had to be a woman whose features could reproduce liberty, freedom, respect, love, and acceptance. He examined dozen of outstanding heroes, but in the end he chose as the model - his own mother.

To the Faithful Mother

You put your child’s need above your own desires. When they call – you are there. You do not allow emotion to lead you because you know that love is a decision. We salute you !

To the Unfaithful Mother

God’s love for you is still available. He still wants to grace you with gifts and give you a new start. He will redesign the future for you and give you a mother’s heart. He will hear your prayers and touch your children. He welcomes you!

To the Grieving Mother

You have experienced great loss. Some have sent a child off to war and heard the news that he or she will not be coming home. Some have tasted the pain of losing a child to sickness, accidents and ultimately death.  We salute you!

To the Working Mother

You are seeking to meet a need. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed and your willingness to provide a quality home is much appreciated. We salute you !

To the single moms – the never married moms – the foster moms – the moms of adoption – the military moms – the grandmothers who fill a void and all other moms – The challenge is great and the road is long but God will meet your needs. You are not alone! We salute you!

This weekend we pause to say: Thank You! We value you! We honor you – We are stronger and better people because of you!

The Power of a Mom

by Andrew Cromwell

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the most powerful influences in anyone’s life is their mom. Mom’s are the first to comfort us when we leave the cocoon of the womb and enter into this cold and noisy world. They are the only one that could really make us feel better when we scraped our knee or knocked our head. Just last night, my six year old woke up crying and this dad was powerless to soothe his tears, but a few hugs from mom and he was just fine.

Mom’s are our biggest fans and they encourage us to keep trying and not give up when all we want to do is quit. They believe in us when it seems that no one else will. And, when they need to, they give us a swift kick in the behind or a choice word that lets us know that we need to toe the line and do what is right.

A world without moms would be a darker, harsher place full of sharp angles and people who always keep us at an arm’s length. Thank God we live in a world where we can still make mom smile with a little glue and dried macaroni.

So we salute moms everywhere this weekend - those amazing women who do more in a day than any man could ever hope to even understand. Those multi-tasking marvels who juggle the house, the job, the homework, the dinner and the husband — and make it look easy. Those underappreciated giants that live among us and without whom the world would literally fall apart.

And to my mom - who taught me how to find God’s presence wherever I am, how to see the world with eyes of possibility and how to appreciate a good piece of chocolate.  I love you mom!

I love what Proverbs 31 says about a good mom: Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,but you surpass them all!”

The pastors in Kings County will be recognizing moms this weekend, why don’t you make sure to take that special mom in your life and make her heart happy by getting the family together and going to church!