Thursday, May 10, 2012

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Did you know that the idea for Mother's Day was born in a small church in Grafton, West Virginia? It was 1876 and the nation still mourned the Civil War dead. While teaching a Memorial Day lesson, Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis thought of mothers who had lost their sons. She prayed that one day there could be a "Memorial Day" for mothers. The prayer made a deep impression on one of Mrs. Jarvis's eleven children. Young Anna had seen her mother's efforts to hold the war-split community and church together. As she grew into adulthood, the younger woman kept Mrs. Jarvis's dream in her heart. On the day of her mother's death, Anna was determined to establish Mother's Day in her honor. On May 12, 1907, a local observance was held which later spread to Philadelphia. By 1910, Mother's Day was celebrated in forty-five states, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico. Elated, Miss Jarvis told a friend, "Where it will end must be left for the future to tell. That it will circle the globe now seems certain."  On May 8, 1914, President Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day "for displaying the American flag and for the public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of the country."                                                                                                              
And no one puts more value on motherhood than God and His Church! The whole idea of a "MOTHER'S DAY" sprang from the heart of a Christian woman. But being a good parent today is not an easy task! The job is made harder by the various enemies of the family unit: Busy lives of each family member with separate interests. Ridicule by the media of family life, especially traditional family life and the traditional values taught in Scripture.  The extreme feminist movement and their ridicule of the role of motherhood. The fact that many parents work full time jobs and have children too. 
You should know that Satan's first attack on the human race began with a future mom, Eve whose name means, "The mother of all living" or "living".  Satan's thought that if you destroy the parents you will destroy the human race! However, a godly mother can destroy the enemy! The mightiest of nations can crumble to the power of a godly mother. You see, before Moses conquered Egypt, his mother Jochebed had already conquered it!

Pastor John J. Dodd

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