In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Dad’s get a Sunday in June. When my kids were little, they would wonder when Kids Day was. “Every other day,” was our answer.
It’s true — moms often have a thankless job. In reality, they should get more than one day per year. We should be thankful for our mothers year-round.
Sometimes, as sons, we struggle with knowing how to show appreciate for our moms. Truth be told, many times, we take them for granted.
But if you’re looking for ways to celebrate your mom this year — here are a few suggestions. But before those suggestions we need to ask a theological question.
Should we celebrate others? This feels like a silly question, to be honest. Of course, we should celebrate our mothers, especially when they are godly and have done a great job of portraying Jesus for us. But I also imagine some having a difficult time with a word like “celebrate.”
Should we reserve these types of things for God alone? If we set aside a day — especially a Sunday — for showing honor to our mothers, is this not getting in the way of worshipping God?
I think Sam Crabtree answers this question better than about anyone else I’ve heard. In his excellent book Practicing Affirmation, Crabtree says this:
Affirming others is not optional…We make idols when we praise what God has made more than we praise God, or praise those things without regard to God. But we glorify God when we praise what he made by commending how it reflects and testifies of him. It is not dishonoring of God for us to stand in breathless awe at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains or the Colorado Rockies drinking in the subtle colors and massive scale if underneath our amazement and enjoyment is something like “look what the Creator has wrought!” (Crabtree, Practicing Affirmation, 91).
This is also true of mothers. When our mothers, even those who do not know Christ, show the image of God, they should be celebrated. It’s not wrong to celebrate our mothers. Here are a few ways to do just that — not only on Mother’s Day but throughout the year.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Dima Berlin
