Mother’s Day 2003, Billy Graham stated of his mother, “She and my father didn’t have much education … but my mother was a woman of God. She always had devotions with us, she always prayed with us and she always loved us.” This is the woman that God intended for every son and daughter of every generation. Oh! How special is a woman who knows her value in life. When God created man he immediately saw a need as He sought to make His designed model wholesome bringing about the union of two creations to make a whole person.

As I think of the mother of my children, she is an energizing force who is equipped to love without condition, fight off weir wolfs in the night, intervene in any charge against her sons and defend her sons in the face of threat even as she intercedes to God in prayer. “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come … Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:25, 30)

The men God created in the presence of our home often return for a visit near Mother’s Day as well as other times throughout the year. As parents, we invariably hear stories where prayers to God are uttered to “watch over and protect our sons, in Jesus’ name.” Tom, our fourth son, told a story of his brothers preparing a jump ramp at the foot of the hill in our back yard that was intended to be the joy of life. The hill side is about 20 feet above the ramp construction and the boards they used were laid between the trees. It was Mark’s scheme and he insisted on being the test driver. This new idea was the dream of every boy to speed down a hill side and lift off the ground like the professional do in motorcycle shows across the nation.

Mark grabbed his bike and rolled it up the hill for his downward run to lift off. As he raced down the back yard hill to the ramp, the ramp moved, the bike stopped on impact of the ramp and all four boys learned the effect of inertia. Newton’s first law of motion is terrible to learn by experience. The law states an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Mark went sailing with hill side speed horizontally until gravity brought him down at the foot of a tree. He looked at his brothers and nothing was moving except for his mouth without any sound and no breath to breathe or speak. Older brother, Nate, went to help and with concern blew a breath of air into his face. He had heard in Sunday School that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” for Adam. About that time Mark’s air returned as he told his brothers that every ounce of his body was in pain. Mom, immediately asks. Were was I when this happened? Tom says, Mom, we didn’t want to get into trouble so we did not tell you. Yes, Lord, thank you for the angels watching over our boys.

Miss Dee was the area teacher of the internationally acclaimed television program on WHTV syndicated as “Romper Room” during the early 1970s. She was great as a talent as every mother must be in the classroom of life. On an occasion when a participant fell ill Miss Dee took her youngest son to the studio to fill out the set. He was given meticulous instruction not to call Miss Dee “Mother.” Everything went great during the live one hour show and after the concluding format Tom came running to Miss Dee with the question and a concerned look. Miss Dee, may I now call you Mother? With a huge she welcomed her old name, Mother. What a beautiful name invoked upon any woman. Many do not understand the profound and lifetime impact upon the baby in the womb and the developing impact upon the brain of a child. God said, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Pro22:6)

Thank you to every Mother for your work and labor in child birth and the multi-tasking demands placed upon your life with love in raising your child. Happy Mother’s Day!

N. Brad Carter Jr. is a Meridian resident and operates WMER (1390 AM). He hosts a radio bible class. Email rbc@wmerworldwide.com.