{"id":491,"date":"2017-05-12T09:50:18","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T13:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/cbf\/?p=491"},"modified":"2017-05-12T09:54:42","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T13:54:42","slug":"mothers-day-ups-downs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/cbf\/2017\/05\/mothers-day-ups-downs\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother’s Day Ups and Downs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

By Danny Chisholm<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Rev.
Rev. Danny Chisholm<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the enduring memories I have of Mother\u2019s Day as a pastor comes from my days in Mississippi.<\/p>\n

The custom had been to recognize the moms in the church by handing out a pink carnation to those whose mothers were still living. We also handed out white carnations to those whose mothers were deceased.<\/p>\n

After one Mother\u2019s Day service, I heard from a dear friend who was in our church. She was a cancer survivor and a wonderful human being. She told me she felt like skipping Mother\u2019s Day because she knew she\u2019d get that white carnation. It was a reminder of sadness and she felt singled out on that day.<\/p>\n

From that point on, I resolved to hand out only one color carnation to not only the mothers, but to ALL women in the worship service.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another superhero movie coming out in a few weeks. It\u2019s about a heroine who can deflect bullets with her bracelets, pick up tanks, and demonstrate great bravery in an effort to bring an end to World War I. It\u2019s about Diana Prince, who becomes known as \u201cWonder Woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s going to be a great movie, not simply because I\u2019m a fan of the Marvel and DC comics series, but because it will allow girls to see a woman in a strong leadership role. This woman also possesses great beauty in addition to strength, but my hope is that what she is able to do will overshadow how she looks.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be preaching from Proverbs 31 on Mother\u2019s Day. It records advice from a mom to her son who just happens to be King. It\u2019s a beautiful acrostic poem (in the Hebrew alphabet) intended to be a literary device for memorizing its content.<\/p>\n

In what could be the first \u201cHallmark Mother\u2019s Day card\u201d, these words are shared: \u201cCharm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>but a woman who fears the Lord<\/span> is to be praised\u201d (Proverbs 31.30).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mother\u2019s Day is a nostalgic day for a variety of reasons. For new moms, this is an exciting day as the first time to celebrate the day as a mom. It\u2019s also a bittersweet day for those whose mothers or wives died in the past year; this is the first time without<\/em> that person. Some mothers have strained relationships with their children. Some women are not wives, and some wives are not mothers. Some women want to have children but cannot. So, it can be an emotional time.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s important to celebrate our moms. I also think it\u2019s important to use this occasion to celebrate all women and recall their contributions in our lives. Our church in particular affirms women in leadership and positions of authority, and for this I am grateful.<\/p>\n

The last chapter of Proverbs could be considered heroic in its description of the ideal woman, or the initial\u201dwonder woman.\u201d Physical appearance may have some value, but it doesn\u2019t take the place of a woman\u2019s character. This is important to keep in mind in this culture of \u201cbody shaming\u201d which scrutinizes young women on what they eat and how they look.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether a woman is a wife or mom, all women should be praised for the \u201cfear of the Lord.\u201d This quality provides the means for a woman to be secure in who she is. May God help us appreciate ALL women in our lives, regardless of the roles they play in the community, church and family.<\/p>\n

Danny Chisholm serves as senior pastor of University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo. Read his blog online at\u00a0https:\/dannychisholm.wordpress.com <\/a>and connect on Twitter at @ChisholmDanny<\/em><\/p>\n

Note: The views expressed here in columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Interested in writing for CBF at Patheos? Submit your column idea to CBF Communications Director Aaron Weaver at aweaver@cbf.net.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Regardless of whether a woman is a wife or mom, all women should be praised for the \u201cfear of the Lord.\u201d This quality provides the means for a woman to be secure in who she is. May God help us appreciate ALL women in our lives, regardless of the roles they play in the community, church and family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,62,77,63,90],"tags":[319,114,140,318,101],"class_list":["post-491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-equality","category-ethics","category-women","category-worship","tag-celebration","tag-community","tag-grief","tag-mothers-day","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\nMother's Day Ups and Downs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Regardless of whether a woman is a wife or mom, all women should be praised for the \u201cfear of the Lord.\u201d This quality provides the means for a woman to be secure in who she is. 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