I feel totally inadequate to deliver this message today. Nevertheless, I will give you the best of what I have, as my mother would have me do.
Today is a day when much of the world publicly recognizes the efforts, achievements and sacrifices of mothers. Social media, news media, blogs, radio broadcasts and many other sources are abuzz with tributes to those special women in our lives who helped make us who we are. Pictures are posted. Memories are shared. Recipes are baked. Phone calls, some of them long overdue, are made. Flowers and cards and text messages are sent. Indeed, it is a busy weekend for florists and postal workers all over the world.
Amidst all this hustle and bustle, the gifts and cards and calls, there is a driving message to all people. It is a message that has inspired many poets, songwriters, novelists, and artists. It is a message not fully understood by the world, a message that, for as long as I have been alive has been under attack by the evil influences of society and the world. It is a message contained in the gospel truth that motherhood is a sacred and divine calling from God.
Some in the world will agree that motherhood is a noble endeavor, but will increasingly fail to acknowledge the importance of motherhood in the development of our society, our economy, and our future. They may see mothers as an important target for marketing products and services, thus facilitating their own personal gain, but miss the mark when it comes to truly seeing the importance of the maternal figure. Yet few individuals can deny the influence their own mother had on their growth and development from infancy to adolescence to adulthood.
I do not claim to be an expert on the topic of motherhood. As a single man with no children of my own, I am, of course, an expert on how other people should raise their children. I have an extensive education gained from watching my siblings, friends, neighbors and others, and I have formed very strong opinions on child-rearing and parenthood. As with many theories though, my opinions, while they may look great on paper, lack credibility until they are put into practice. So until I am given that grand opportunity, I will save that sermon for another day, and today speak specifically on the lessons and examples I have learned from my own mother.
The Bible Dictionary defines mother in these words: “A sacred title referring to a woman who bears or adopts children.” It further states that “Mothers assist in God’s plan by providing mortal bodies for God’s spirit children.”
I would like to begin by thanking my mother for the wonderful mortal body she provided for me. Though at times I may feel it is inadequate, I recognize the blessing of a mother who took care to remain healthy and free from addictive and harmful substances throughout the time she carried me in her womb. But that was just the beginning. While it is true that providing a mortal body assists in God’s plan, the greater portion of a woman’s assistance comes in her providing an environment protected from the influences of Satan, where a child can learn and put into practice the truths of the gospel.
From the moment I was born, Mom taught me the importance of living the gospel. I do not recall a single Sunday during my childhood when our family did not attend church services. Occasionally one of us might stay home due to illness, but that did not keep the rest of the family from fulfilling the commitment and receiving the blessings of church attendance. This is a lesson I have carried with me into adulthood, though my personal travels and military commitments prevent me from attending every Sunday, when I can, I stop at an LDS meetinghouse at least for sacrament services.
Mom taught me to be honest. I remember one day as a six-year-old going to the store with my mom. While waiting in the checkout line, I decided I wanted a pack of chewing gum. Mom always had gum that she kept in her purse, but I was not often allowed to chew gum. I wanted my own gum. I knew that if I asked, Mom would decline and tell me I did not need gum. So, when Mom was not looking, I slyly slipped a package of chewing gum into my pocket. We moved through the line and out into parking lot. My heart was racing the entire drive home. I knew that stealing is wrong--of course Mom had taught me that--but I thought I had gotten away with it. Later that day, while I was enjoying the flavor of my spoils, Mom questioned where I had gotten the gum I was chewing. I tried to lie and tell her I had taken it from her purse, as if that would have been any better, but I soon broke down into tears and produced the stolen gum. We drove all the way back to the store. With the opened package of gum as evidence, I confessed my guilt to the store manager and apologized, promising never to steal again. Mom paid for the stolen merchandise and went home with more gum than she had originally planned. I went home with a lesson on the importance of being honest, and an example of how to repent after I have made the mistake of being dishonest.
Mom taught me to pay my tithing. My sisters and I were all given banks with three sections. One for spending, one for saving, and one for tithing. Our weekly allowance was always divided up into the three sections, and I remember being excited to bring the envelope up to the bishop on Sunday. Then at the end of each year, our family sat in the bishop’s office for tithing settlement and I was proud to declare myself a full tithe payer. To this day I have a strong testimony of tithing. I have never had difficulty meeting my financial obligations, which I attribute to the blessings of faithfully paying a full tithe. In fact, the Lord has blessed me with more than enough, so that I can share what I have with those around me in need.
Mom taught me how to cook and bake. These skills came in handy on the mission and in college, though I can’t say I use them too often these days. I still put a roast in the crockpot occasionally, and every holiday season I take out mom’s recipes to make our families traditional holiday treats.
Mom taught me how to craft. Growing up my mom made all sorts of different decorations. One of her favorite things to do was cross-stitch, which she taught me and my sisters to do at a very young age. I am proud to say, she still loves to point out that I was better than any of my sisters at cross-stitching.
Some lessons come harder than others. I remember vividly the day Mom taught me how much my words can hurt. It was late in the afternoon, and I wanted to do something that Mom did not see fit for me to do. As we argued, my temper raged, and I shouted a vulgar cuss word at the top of my lungs--a word I have not dared say since, after seeing the pain and disappointment in Mom’s face the moment the word left my lips--the Spirit immediately left my heart, the argument ended, and I was banished to my room until my dad returned home from work. I could not take that word back, no matter how much I wanted to. So, I sat in fear awaiting the punishment I would have to face when Dad got home.
Mom taught me to love reading. Every summer she took us to the library to checkout books. We participated in the summer reading program. I think I always finished the books before we had even returned home. When she wasn’t cooking or cleaning or crafting, Mom was reading. No wonder I have a vast knowledge of the Hardy Boys, Beverly Cleary, Jack Weyland, The Three Investigators, Dickens, Hugo, McCarthy, Poe, Shakespeare, as well as many church publications.
In Proverbs 31, we read that a mother “riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household” and that “she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” Mom was not only the first one up in the morning, especially on Sundays preparing meals and getting kids ready for church, she was the one who kept us busy all day. She was constantly doing something to help the family earn money and stay busy, from delivering phone books door to door, or sewing baseball caps for local sports clubs, to selling girl scout cookies, or making candies and treats for the upcoming holiday, to trips to the library, or store to get materials for school projects, Mom stayed busy! I do not have a single memory of Mom just sitting and doing nothing.
I know you have many memories and lessons you have learned from your mother. I hope you will not mind if I share just a couple of more from my life. Among all the memories of my Mom, there are a few that stand out particularly in my mind.
When I was a junior in high school, I had become an accomplished cross country runner. It was the day of the state championships, and I, along with many other runners, hoped to finish the race first, and be crowned the state champion. My chances were slim, considering I had not finished higher than 5th in a major race all year. The starting gun went off, the pack of runners raced across the field and up the hill. I found myself in the lead after a half-mile. As the course made a turn through some tall evergreens and entered the clearing where the spectators waited to cheer on their runners, there was my mother. When she saw I was the first runner, she leaped into the air and shouted at the top of her lungs, and clapped and hopped and cheered. And at that moment, I felt I could do anything, because my mom was there cheering me on. She was so selflessly excited for me to succeed, to watch me progress and meet my goals.
The next year, as one of the top returning runners in the state, I was a favorite to win many of the races. I discovered after the first major race of the season, that my mother had boasted to the Channel 4 news crew that her son was going to win the race. Luckily, after dropping back from the lead runner, I mustered my best efforts and narrowly outkicked my competitor, passing him two meters before the finish line. I was in awe that my mother would make such a claim, especially to the media, but it was a great confidence builder to see the faith she had in my talents and abilities.
I do not think any sermon on mothers would be complete without referencing those faithful Lamanite mothers mentioned in Alma 56. Helaman and his stripling warriors knew the value of the lessons taught by faithful mothers. Of those young men, it is written,
“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”
Like the lessons I have shared, you have lessons your mothers taught you, and you do not doubt your mothers knew it.
In closing, I would like to share a few quotes from inspired leaders of the church.
President Joseph F. Smith said to the women in the church:
And, sisters, you do not know how far your influence extends. A mother that is successful in raising a good boy, or girl, to imitate her example and to follow her precepts through life, sows the seeds of virtue, honor and integrity and of righteousness in their hearts that will be felt through all their career in life; and wherever that boy or girl goes, as man or woman, in whatever society they mingle, the good effects of the example of that mother upon them will be felt; and it will never die, because it will extend from them to their children from generation to generation. And especially do we hope for this in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.3
Sometimes it seems the world would have us believe that motherhood is a demotion from corporate success. That establishing a successful career is more important than rearing and raising children. But a woman who teaches her children to abide by the principles of the gospel has done more good in the world, and has gained greater success in the eyes of the Lord than any leader of any company, or any celebrity in any field of study.
President Smith goes on to say:
… The true mother, the mother who has the fear of God and the love of truth in her soul, would never hide from danger or evil and leave her child exposed to it. But as natural as it is for the sparks to fly upward, as natural as it is to breathe the breath of life, if there were danger coming to her child, she would step between the child and that danger; she would defend her child to the uttermost. Her life would be nothing in the balance, in comparison with the life of her child. That is the love of true motherhood for children. …
All around us are examples of mothers who sacrifice and face dangers in order to keep their children safe. I think of the danger a woman faces in giving birth to her newborn child. It is an ordeal that has claimed the lives of many mothers. Even with today’s advanced technologies, mothers and babies still face the grave danger in giving birth. It is a testament to her faith in God and her love for her children that a woman is willing to pass through such an experience.
Finally, from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, these words:
Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever. And if, for whatever reason, you are making this courageous effort alone, without your husband at your side, then our prayers will be all the greater for you, and our determination to lend a helping hand even more resolute.
It is my testimony that motherhood is a divine calling and a sacred duty. I testify that the Savior knows the hearts and struggles of all mothers, and send the Comforter to guide, protect, teach and inspire mothers. I know that if you, as a mother feel unfit for your role, if you feel inadequate, you need only to kneel in prayer, and ask the Lord for help. He will magnify your efforts and comfort you in your time of need. The Lord loves us, this is his gospel, and his church. Our father in heaven watches over us, and trusts you mothers to take care of his children. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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