27 January | Youth
«Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.» Exodus 20:12
“Mom.” Small word that appears among the smallest in the dictionary. However, it transcends the others in beauty and meaning. It is the abbreviation for kindness; the summary of a prayer; the essence of love between mortals. Partners of angels, mothers are queens without crowns, heroines without capes and experts without degrees. Everywhere on the planet, they live the constant adventure of having their hearts beating outside their chests. Many of them are capable of giving their lives for their children.
Have you ever repaid all your mother's efforts? Did you give her flowers and tell her how much you love her? The Talmud says that no matter how much a person honors their parents, it will never be enough. No gift or attitude will ever measure up to their selfless love. This is why the honor required in the fifth commandment encompasses, not only obedience in childhood, but also the care of parents in old age.
Today I want to challenge you to surprise your mother with “honor.” Buy her a gift, give her a big hug and express all your love for her. Do it while you have the chance. Remember that she has already done a lot for you.
A few years ago, I witnessed one of the most moving scenes in my ministry. On a rainy Monday afternoon, I went to the city cemetery to hold the funeral for a 30-year-old man. He had contracted meningitis when he was nine months old, which caused serious brain and motor damage. During his life, the boy did not speak, did not move his limbs and depended on his mother for everything. At the funeral, under heavy rain, there was that mother, inconsolable, shedding tears of sadness for her beloved son.
When they lowered the coffin, his mother had an instinctive reaction. Desperate, she made a sudden movement towards the grave, intending to accompany her son into that mud-filled hole. If it were not for a family member holding her, another tragedy would have happened that afternoon. There I understood a little about Solomon's words: “For love is as strong as death” (Song 8:6).
On this Mother’s Day do more for the one who deserves all your honor.