It is that time of year when sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, husbands, grandchildren and loved-ones celebrate the life of mothers all over the world.  Mothers are a true statement of strength and beauty.  So as we reflect on the wonderful mother’s that God has placed in our lives – let’s remember Proverbs 4:8-9

“if you value wisdom and hold tightly to her, great honors will be yours.  It will be like wearing a glorious crown of beautiful flowers.”  Happy Mother’s Day!

While thinking about this month’s motivation, I thought about grace.  As children, in most cases our mothers were instrumental in teaching us to pray and say grace.  Our mother’s not only taught us how to bless our food before eating (say grace).  She explained how wonderful the grace of God was and is.  Grace is not an easy word to define and sometimes it is misunderstood.  One of the better known definitions of grace is God’s unmerited favor.  A. W. Tozer expanded on that definition by suggesting that “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.”  More so, for Christians, we believe that grace is what we are saved by.

The Hebrew word for grace is “hen” and can be found in the Old Testament books Genesis, Exodus, and Ruth.  The word “hen” was derived from “hanan” – which means to favor or grant mercy.  The Hebrew term “hen” meant to bend or stoop.  Donald Barnhouse said that love that goes upward is worship.  Love that goes outward is affection. Love that stoops is grace.  Thus God’s grace is God extending favor or kindness to those (us) who do not deserve it and can never really earn it.

Growing up, we used to get in trouble in the neighborhood for fighting or by not performing chores that were given to us by our mothers.  Most times when that happened our mothers would say:  “wait until your father gets home, you are going to get it for not doing what you were told.”  Well there were those times when mama didn’t tell dad or she forgot.  Whichever one, we didn’t care; we simply said mama gave us grace. 

As much as we thought that not getting in trouble with dad was grace, moving into adulthood and receiving God’s grace was a totally different level of getting something that you did not deserve.  There are times when we’ve found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time but others were harmed, and we were left untouched and still with the activities of our limbs.  We’ve been unprepared for exams, jobs, and opportunities but God still gave us what we did not deserve or opportunities that we had not properly prepared for. 

Years ago, my God-mother told me a story about an old Indian chief.  After living many years in sin, the old Indian was introduced to Christ by a missionary.  Friends of the old Indian chief asked him to explain the change in his life.  He reached down and picked up a little worm and placed it on a pile of leaves.  He then put a match to the leaves and watched then smolder and burst into flames.  As the flames worked their way up to the center where the worm lay, the old Indian chief’s friend plunged his hand into the center of the burning pile and snatched the worm out of the burning pile.  As the friend gently held the worm in his hand, the old Indian chief gave this testimony of the grace of God.  “Me… I was that worm – but God stooped down and snatched me out.”  So the next time you find yourself in a situation with piles of leaves burning around you or when you are asked to explain the change in your attitude and life… “Say Grace!” 

Be Blessed! 

Yours in Christ and Service,