Two Great Celebrations

May 9, 2022

May always has two great days on the calendar—days that are worthy of celebration. One of them is known as one of the top celebratory days in the nation. It’s Mother’s Day; this year on May 8. It’s the Sunday of the highest church attendance around the nation every year. When the husbands and kids ask Mom what she would most like for Mother’s Day, it’s not unusual to get the response, “I would like you to go to church with me—more than dinner, flowers, or anything else.” So, if the family dutifully goes, church attendance goes up for that one weekend. I hope you celebrated the mothers in your life, letting them know just how valued and appreciated they are.

The second one is National Day of Prayer on May 5. It is always observed the first Thursday in May. It’s a great time when homes, schools, businesses, and churches often take time to pray in community with others for our leaders, people in general, and our homes. Often people pray at the local courthouses or schools because the typical observance has a significant emphasis on government and national issues. It’s great to see people gather together to do this, especially if they are people who pray at other times all through the year.

To me, these two celebrations have much in common. I am so grateful for my mom. She was an exceptional woman. She was loving to us as children and to everyone she met. She was a tremendous and loyal support to my dad. Mother was a skilled and devoted homemaker, and our home was open to anyone who needed a safe place, a fun place, a healing place, or a welcoming place. All through my growing-up years, there were always people there enjoying Mom’s hospitality and listening skill. We even had people stay with us temporarily when they were at the end of their rope. All those things were great gifts to us and taught us much.

But far greater than anything else Mom ever gave my siblings and me was her prayers. Mom was very faithful to us. We were never away from her thoughts or prayers. In fact, the day before Mom left us for heaven, Dad spoke to her for a while and then she was silent. He told us, “You and your families have played on the screen of her mind without ceasing. In these last days before heaven she was in constant prayer for you and her grandchildren and your futures with Him. She told me that God spoke to her and said, ‘My daughter, your prayers have been answered. Now you need to just rest and get ready to see my face.’ Your mother has prayed her last prayer for you here, and God has heard and assured her that she has been answered.” Can you imagine a gift more precious that any mother could give her children? The best part is that Mom didn’t wait till the last minute to pray for us. Every day was a day of prayer for my mom.

Mom—be known as a praying mother. Never underestimate what your prayers are doing. And for the rest of us—fathers, sons, daughters—we can’t leave it to just the mothers. We all need to be praying. Prayer does more than you think because God is doing more than you can see.