SPEAKER_00: Well, good morning, and welcome to Silver Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: It's so awesome to see all of you worshiping with us today.
SPEAKER_00: I'd like to welcome all of you here at our Bonnie Oaks campus, but also like to welcome all of you at our Creekside service, our Bridges Service, our North Utawa campus, our St.
SPEAKER_00: Elmo campus, our Apison campus, and all of you that are worshiping with us online.
SPEAKER_00: If I haven't had a chance to meet you personally, I'm Tony Walliser, one of the pastors here at Silverdale, and I have the privilege today to share with you God's Word.
SPEAKER_00: So this one I encourage you to do.
SPEAKER_00: Go and take your Bibles and open up in the Old Testament to the book of Proverbs, actually the last chapter of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 31.
SPEAKER_00: You go to Psalms, then Proverbs, Proverbs 31.
SPEAKER_00: And you can also do this.
SPEAKER_00: Take out these Bible study outlines that we provide for you.
SPEAKER_00: We give you these outlines so you can follow along and take notes as we study God's word together.
SPEAKER_00: We're beginning a brand new mini-series on the family, and it's called Turn Your Heart Toward Home.
SPEAKER_00: So each week we're talking about family matters and parenting and things like that.
SPEAKER_00: And we thought there's no better place to start about a family series than with moms.
SPEAKER_00: And so today we're going to look at Proverbs 31, which is really a description.
SPEAKER_00: If you're familiar with the Bible, you're familiar that Proverbs 31 is a description of this model virtuous woman.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: Now there's a lot of women that read Proverbs 31 and go, I hate that woman.
SPEAKER_00: I hate that woman.
SPEAKER_00: She's just too perfect, right?
SPEAKER_00: Now, none of us expect you to be perfect.
SPEAKER_00: And there's something you've got to understand when you look at Proverbs 31, that's not a snapshot of her weak.
SPEAKER_00: No, that's a summary of her entire life.
SPEAKER_00: So don't get overwhelmed with how amazing this woman is.
SPEAKER_00: But there are a lot of principles that we can find of how moms and wives can be.
SPEAKER_00: Now, we need to understand that in our culture and society today, there's a pushback on women being moms.
SPEAKER_00: And they'll say things like, you know what, goodness gracious, if a woman gives her time to raise children, she's gonna be missing out on the real advan adventures and joys of life.
SPEAKER_00: And can I just tell you that the greatest joy and adventure of life is parenting.
SPEAKER_00: It is a gift from God, and the Bible says that your value as moms are far above many rubies.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: And so today we do want to honor all of the moms that are here.
SPEAKER_00: We want to honor all the moms that have raised your kids, and now you're watching your kids raise their kids.
SPEAKER_00: Well done, right?
SPEAKER_00: We want to honor all the new moms.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you just got babies.
SPEAKER_00: I've seen a lot of you know pregnant moms here.
SPEAKER_00: God bless you.
SPEAKER_00: You're just starting out this venture.
SPEAKER_00: Um, I want to honor all the moms with teenagers.
SPEAKER_00: Hang in there.
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be okay, right?
SPEAKER_00: Just you're doing great, right?
SPEAKER_00: Um want to honor all the single moms.
SPEAKER_00: We know that your life is spread thin, so just keep doing the best that you can.
SPEAKER_00: Also, I want to recognize there's a lot of women here that would love to be moms, but they just can't.
SPEAKER_00: Something's happened along the ways, they can't be moms.
SPEAKER_00: And so we want to honor you and respect you as well.
SPEAKER_00: We want every one of you to know how much we just honor the ladies that are here.
SPEAKER_00: Because there's something special about moms in there.
SPEAKER_00: They possess some kind of super knowledge.
SPEAKER_00: That isn't it amazing that a mom can tell you where an article of clothing is for every child in the laundry cycle.
SPEAKER_00: How does that happen?
SPEAKER_00: A mom can hear a cough and know exactly, okay, what color cough medicine that kid needs.
SPEAKER_00: Um, it's been said that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
SPEAKER_00: It's true.
SPEAKER_00: The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you can see that with with professional athletes, right?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they get on national television, even though dad has been in the yard throwing the ball with them and taking them to the practices.
SPEAKER_00: But when they get a chance to have a shout-out on national television, what do they say?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, mom, love you, mom.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because the hand that rocks the cradle really does rule the world.
SPEAKER_00: And so what we're gonna discover in Proverbs 31 is how to be a positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: There's a right way and there's a wrong way to be a mom.
SPEAKER_00: In Proverbs 31, we discover the right way.
SPEAKER_00: I call her a positive mom, and she has several characteristics in her life, and I want you to jot them down on your outlines here today.
SPEAKER_00: The very first thing is this.
SPEAKER_00: Jot this down.
SPEAKER_00: First of all, she has a positive outlook.
SPEAKER_00: She has a positive outlook about life.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how she's described in verse 25.
SPEAKER_00: Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the future to come.
SPEAKER_00: So when you look at her, what do you see?
SPEAKER_00: You see strength and fortitude.
SPEAKER_00: You also see wisdom, you see honor, you see um respect, you see a woman that lived her life in such a way that you know what?
SPEAKER_00: She's worthy of honor.
SPEAKER_00: Now, how does she have that?
SPEAKER_00: Because she walks with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, that's the way she has a positive outlook of life.
SPEAKER_00: Look again at the end of how she's described.
SPEAKER_00: She can laugh at the future to come.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that amazing?
SPEAKER_00: A lot of women are overwhelmed with anxieties and worries.
SPEAKER_00: This woman, she looks at the future and goes, ha ha ha.
SPEAKER_00: She laughs at the future.
SPEAKER_00: How can that be?
SPEAKER_00: Because her confidence is not in herself, it's not in the world.
SPEAKER_00: Her confidence is in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: She knows she's held in the hands of Almighty God.
SPEAKER_00: She knows she can trust the principles of God's word.
SPEAKER_00: You see, God's word is filled with positive promises that you can take to the bank.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, our last study was in the book of Philippians.
SPEAKER_00: And you remember Philippians chapter 4, verse 8?
SPEAKER_00: Paul says, this is the way we're all supposed to think.
SPEAKER_00: Look at it again with me.
SPEAKER_00: Paul writes Whatever's true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's commendable, if there's any moral excellence, if there's anything praiseworthy, what?
SPEAKER_00: Think on these things.
SPEAKER_00: Now, everything in that verse that we're commanded, that's the way we're supposed to think.
SPEAKER_00: Everything there is positive.
SPEAKER_00: Now, why in the world do we need to have these positive thoughts and force ourselves to think positive things?
SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you why.
SPEAKER_00: Because we live in such a negative age.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, all it takes is five minutes watching the news, and what happens?
SPEAKER_00: You get depressed.
SPEAKER_00: You get negative, right?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the fact is, is that it's been said the average woman in America spends two hours a day on social media, and for every minute she spends on social media, she becomes more depressed and negative in her life.
SPEAKER_00: Previous generations were called the builder generation or the you know the boomers or the busters.
SPEAKER_00: Today's generation is called the anxious generation.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because we're always attached to this thing, right?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it promises stimulation, but it leaves us empty.
SPEAKER_00: It promises connectivity, but it makes us actually feel more alone.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a startling statistic.
SPEAKER_00: 80% of your thoughts are negative.
SPEAKER_00: There was a study done by the Cleveland Clinic of Wellness, and they discovered that 80% of your thoughts are negative.
SPEAKER_00: The average person has about 60,000 thoughts a day.
SPEAKER_00: If 80% of them are negative, that means you have 48,000 negative thoughts every day.
SPEAKER_00: No wonder we're so depressed all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Because all we focus on are negative things all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a woman who's described as laughing at the future.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because her confidence is in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Now listen, I'm not saying you gotta stick your head in the sand and live in denial that you got any problems in your life.
SPEAKER_00: But what you do have to do is you have to choose what you're going to focus on.
SPEAKER_00: There's always negative things in your life, but there's also positive things that you can focus on.
SPEAKER_00: In your marriage, always gonna be some negative thing.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: There's also some positive things.
SPEAKER_00: Your kids, always some negative things.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: There's also some positive things.
SPEAKER_00: At work, always negative things, but there's also some positive things.
SPEAKER_00: Choose to focus on the positive things.
SPEAKER_00: God has given you a gift.
SPEAKER_00: It's free will.
SPEAKER_00: You can choose, right?
SPEAKER_00: You can choose what you focus on.
SPEAKER_00: I love this statement.
SPEAKER_00: It goes like this.
SPEAKER_00: Life will give you lemons, but you don't have to suck on them.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Life will give you lemons, but you don't have to suck on them.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're surrounded with negative people.
SPEAKER_00: We're surrounded with Debbie Downers and negative Neds, and they just suck the joy out of life, right?
SPEAKER_00: And the fact is, is the reason why some of you have spiritual problems is because you've stopped believing the truths, the positive truths of God's word.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you, you have physical problems.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because you're focused on the stressful things all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you, you have emotional problems.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because you're focused on the negative stuff all the time.
SPEAKER_00: The only way a woman can be a positive mom is if she will choose.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to focus on the positive things in my life.
SPEAKER_00: See, every person in this room, every mom in this room are invited to two parties.
SPEAKER_00: Every one of us.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: Moms love parties, right?
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: You got birthday parties, you got wedding celebrations, you got baby celebrations, you got, you know, graduation parties, holiday parties.
SPEAKER_00: Women love parties.
SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing: you're invited to two parties every day.
SPEAKER_00: The first party is a pity party.
SPEAKER_00: Every woman is invited every day to a pity party.
SPEAKER_00: The invitation goes something like this.
SPEAKER_00: You are cordially invited to self-indulge in a pity party.
SPEAKER_00: Place at home or work or gathering with a friends.
SPEAKER_00: Date or time?
SPEAKER_00: Anytime, any place, any day.
SPEAKER_00: Please bring a spirit of discontent and negative attitude, complaints of every kind, plus a detailed list of everything that's wrong with your life.
SPEAKER_00: And whenever you accept that invitation to pity party, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're going to spiral down.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: Every one of us, every woman here, isn't also invited to a praise party.
SPEAKER_00: You can make a choice.
SPEAKER_00: You can say, you know what, I'm going to either praise the Lord or I'm going to just spiral down.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to choose to praise the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to start looking for the ways God's working.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to believe the promises of God.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to look for the good things I can thank God for.
SPEAKER_00: That's what the Bible commands us to do.
SPEAKER_00: Look at it.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 5, the Apostle Paul writes, Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Pray constantly.
SPEAKER_00: Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You can put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.
SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
SPEAKER_00: When you have that kind of outlook in life, you'll have peace.
SPEAKER_00: And then your home will have peace.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: If you accept the pity party, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: It's not going to be that way.
SPEAKER_00: There's another woman, another mother that's described in Proverbs.
SPEAKER_00: It's Proverbs 21.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how she's described.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 21, 9 says this.
SPEAKER_00: Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a contentious woman.
SPEAKER_00: Whoa! What's up with that?
SPEAKER_00: Well, that is somebody who is focused on the pity party rather than the praise party.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because she's got bitterness and hurt in her heart, and that's what comes out of her mouth.
SPEAKER_00: So, first key for a mom is okay, I need to have a positive outlook in life.
SPEAKER_00: There's a second way that she's described in Proverbs 31.
SPEAKER_00: Jot this down.
SPEAKER_00: Number two is this she gives positive words.
SPEAKER_00: She gives positive words.
SPEAKER_00: If you have a positive outlook in your life and you got a peaceful heart, then guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're gonna give positive words.
SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what it says next.
SPEAKER_00: Next verse, verse 26.
SPEAKER_00: Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
SPEAKER_00: Now that's an amazing description, right?
SPEAKER_00: Loving instructions on her tongue.
SPEAKER_00: She speaks wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she's not a mom that's griping and complaining all the time.
SPEAKER_00: She's not a mom that's always negative or a perfectionist mom demanding her away all the time.
SPEAKER_00: No, kindness and loving instructions on her tongue.
SPEAKER_00: Now I know that as parents, we can sometimes come across very negative to our kids.
SPEAKER_00: We can't.
SPEAKER_00: And part of the reason why parents come across negative is because we're often in the discipline mode.
SPEAKER_00: And part of saying discipline is saying what?
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: And that's pretty negative, right?
SPEAKER_00: And so we can come across negative.
SPEAKER_00: No, right?
SPEAKER_00: So what we've got to do is we've got to realize that you know what?
SPEAKER_00: We've got to balance and realize that our words can help our kids or hurt our kids or heal our kids.
SPEAKER_00: Notice how this is written in Proverbs.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 18 says this death and life are in the power of the tongue.
SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's an incredible verse.
SPEAKER_00: You're saying my words can bring death?
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00: Or life are in the power of your tongue.
SPEAKER_00: We've all heard this before.
SPEAKER_00: Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt me.
SPEAKER_00: That's a lie.
SPEAKER_00: Bones can heal.
SPEAKER_00: But some of you, you have carried with you the wounds of harsh words from your parents.
SPEAKER_00: And they're mulling around in your soul, and they were said to you as a child, and you didn't know how to process them, and now you're tempted to use those same words on your kids or your grandkids, right?
SPEAKER_00: That's the reality.
SPEAKER_00: And so, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: Can I just speak honestly?
SPEAKER_00: I had that negative tendency as well, because I was raised by a mom that was extremely negative as well.
SPEAKER_00: My kids called me the dream buster.
SPEAKER_00: They would come to me with their dreams and ideas, and I would go boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boom.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just knocking it down.
SPEAKER_00: I said, I'm just a realist.
SPEAKER_00: They go, You're a dream buster, right?
SPEAKER_00: And so I learned, and I've shared this with you before, that it takes five positive affirmations to overcome one negative comment, right?
SPEAKER_00: You've heard that before.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, basically, every one of us have an emotional love bank.
SPEAKER_00: And you know how banks work, right?
SPEAKER_00: You you make you know deposits and withdrawals.
SPEAKER_00: And so let's just say that this is a um are your bank here, and um, you know, you you basically you you can make deposits or withdrawals, and so you want to be positive as a parent.
SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, your your kid does something.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for helping me out.
SPEAKER_00: Good job.
SPEAKER_00: Or, hey, you know, you're really working hard at school.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00: Good job.
SPEAKER_00: Or, you know what, you stood so patiently and didn't interrupt mommy when she was talking to her friend.
SPEAKER_00: Good job.
SPEAKER_00: You know, you pulled up your pants after going potty, way to go, that is awesome, right?
SPEAKER_00: Or thanks for flushing, that is really good job, right?
SPEAKER_00: And can I just tell you that the fact is that when you get in the habit of just saying, I'm looking for little simple things to praise my child about, it becomes a habit.
SPEAKER_00: And you start praising your child for everything, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be those times when they set you off.
SPEAKER_00: Alright?
SPEAKER_00: You go into their room and they've taken all the clothes out of their closet and strewn them all around the floor, or there's toys everywhere, and you walk in and you're just like, oh, right?
SPEAKER_00: I can remember saying to my grandson after coming into his room and it looked just like that.
SPEAKER_00: And I go, This is ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00: This place is a disaster.
SPEAKER_00: And he goes, Saint ridiculous?
SPEAKER_00: This is not ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00: Now let me just quickly say one thing I didn't say.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't say, you are ridiculous, and you are a disaster.
SPEAKER_00: Those kind of words are so hurtful you can't take them back.
SPEAKER_00: They wound, right?
SPEAKER_00: This is ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00: This room's a disaster.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: In that moment, okay, I just used up all my change.
SPEAKER_00: Now we understand how banking works, right?
SPEAKER_00: You got deposits and withdrawals that you have to put in.
SPEAKER_00: And you know that if you take more withdrawals than you do deposits, then guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're gonna have insufficient funds.
SPEAKER_00: The bank is gonna basically, you know, charge you a service charge.
SPEAKER_00: And so it's the very same way.
SPEAKER_00: You as a parent need to just be intentional and say, hey, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I need to be intentional and try to give positive words.
SPEAKER_00: Now, in our household, the way that we tried to implement this is we had this little thing that we called an honor child.
SPEAKER_00: And so we have four kids that we raised, and so each week there would be a different child we would call the honor child, and the honor child got to do all the special things.
SPEAKER_00: The honor child got to sit in the special seat in the van.
SPEAKER_00: The honor child got to choose the movie of the week, got to choose the meal of the week, got to choose certain desserts.
SPEAKER_00: As always, honor child got all those things.
SPEAKER_00: But during an evening time, an evening meal, we would then, each of us, speak kind, honoring things to the honor child.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because we were trying to create a culture in our home of not tearing each other down, because Susan and I grew up in homes where we tore each other down.
SPEAKER_00: That we wanted to create a culture where we're building each other up so everybody would honor the honor child.
SPEAKER_00: Why is it so important?
SPEAKER_00: Because death and life are in the power of your words, your tongue.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what else it says.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 12 says this.
SPEAKER_00: Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up, right?
SPEAKER_00: Just a simple, kind word has a way of changing people.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you've ever heard the story of Cheryl Pruitt before.
SPEAKER_00: Cheryl, when she was a little girl, her dad owned a small grocery store.
SPEAKER_00: And she would hang out with her dad every day in the grocery store, especially in the summer.
SPEAKER_00: And every day a delivery man would come.
SPEAKER_00: And he used to deliver different products to the store.
SPEAKER_00: And he would look at little Cheryl and he'd say, So how's my little Miss America today?
SPEAKER_00: And she would just giggle, you know?
SPEAKER_00: And but, you know, he said that every day.
SPEAKER_00: And just as she began to grow, she stopped giggling and she starts processing that.
SPEAKER_00: She starts thinking about that.
SPEAKER_00: By the time she's a teenager, that becomes her goal.
SPEAKER_00: And sure enough, Cheryl Pruitt actually was crowned Miss America.
SPEAKER_00: True story.
SPEAKER_00: All because you had somebody that was speaking words of life into her every day.
SPEAKER_00: When I read that story, I started whenever my kids would wake up, I'd greet them every morning, I'd say, How's my little millionaire today?
SPEAKER_00: And so, um, remember your old man when I get old.
SPEAKER_00: No, I didn't do that, but I was tempted to do that, okay?
SPEAKER_00: The point is that we need what?
SPEAKER_00: Positive outlook.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna trust God with my future.
SPEAKER_00: Positive words, those only come from a peaceful heart, right?
SPEAKER_00: But this is a third characteristic that we see in this woman.
SPEAKER_00: She has a positive work ethic.
SPEAKER_00: She has a positive worth ethic.
SPEAKER_00: This woman, she's not just lazy.
SPEAKER_00: She's not laying around, she's not watching TV or shows all day.
SPEAKER_00: She's not spending all her time chatting up with her girlfriends.
SPEAKER_00: She's not, you know, some trophy wife that's beautiful, but you know what, she's really not good for anything.
SPEAKER_00: No, when you just look at this woman, you realize this woman's like a CEO.
SPEAKER_00: Check it out.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how she's described, verse 27.
SPEAKER_00: She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
SPEAKER_00: Never idle.
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: That means that she's not lazy.
SPEAKER_00: This woman, she is active.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've heard the expression idle hands or the devil's workshop.
SPEAKER_00: Well, this woman, she's never idle.
SPEAKER_00: She the devil can't get to her because she's always busy doing something.
SPEAKER_00: Let me just show you a few things of how she's described.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: She rises also while it's still night and gives food to her household.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 16.
SPEAKER_00: She considers a field and buys it.
SPEAKER_00: From her earnings, she plants a vineyard.
SPEAKER_00: She can manage money, she can invest money.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 21.
SPEAKER_00: She does not fear for her family when it snows because her whole family has a double layer of clothing.
SPEAKER_00: She takes care of her family.
SPEAKER_00: Now, when you read Proverbs 31, you go, golly, this lady was busy.
SPEAKER_00: She was active, she was doing a lot of stuff.
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's what we realize.
SPEAKER_00: Moms do a lot.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, just think about just some of the hats that a mom has to wear any given day.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so you know what?
SPEAKER_00: She wakes up, she wants to be a Christian mom.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I need to spend time with the Lord and the Word.
SPEAKER_00: Devotion, right?
SPEAKER_00: And then she's like, okay, I gotta I gotta cook breakfast, so I'm now the cook.
SPEAKER_00: And then after she fixes breakfast, then what happens?
SPEAKER_00: Well, I gotta get all everybody ready to get out the door to get to school, so she becomes a disciplinarian, right?
SPEAKER_00: Get everybody drill sergeant, get everybody in place.
SPEAKER_00: And then what does she do?
SPEAKER_00: She becomes like the chauffeur and she takes everybody to um to school or to you know practice or whatever it may be.
SPEAKER_00: And then um then she goes to work.
SPEAKER_00: I've got to earn a little money to help provide for the family.
SPEAKER_00: And and then, okay, after work, what does she do?
SPEAKER_00: She says, Okay, I've got to run some errands, I've got to, you know, go shopping and buy some more groceries for the family and and maybe get the oil changed, and then she comes home, she's mom again.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I gotta make sure all the kids have their bath and everything, and then okay, then I become the tutor and I and I make sure that you know what the kids' homework is all done, and then okay, I become the maid, and I become to clean up the place, and I do the laundry and I do the dishes and I clean up everything.
SPEAKER_00: And then at the end of the day, the husband says, Hey, can we snuggle tonight?
SPEAKER_00: And you go, so okay, now I've got to be the wife too, right?
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: When you add all that up, you go, Oh my goodness, that's a lot of stuff, right?
SPEAKER_00: And that is exactly what moms face all the time.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
SPEAKER_00: The reality is, is our worlds would fall apart if it wasn't for women like that.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I heard this story about this dad who went on a camping trip with his son.
SPEAKER_00: They were gone for two nights, and it's the first time they ever done anything like that.
SPEAKER_00: And so on the way home, the dad thought, okay, everything went pretty good.
SPEAKER_00: He asked his son and said, Hey, what'd you think?
SPEAKER_00: And he goes, It was fun, dad, and that was great.
SPEAKER_00: And then the dad asked, Hey, is there anything we can do next time when we go camping together?
SPEAKER_00: And he said, Well, you know, next time if we could bring ketchup, that'd be good.
SPEAKER_00: And if we could bring mom, things just seem to go better with mom around, right?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, and it's true.
SPEAKER_00: Now, we need to understand something.
SPEAKER_00: If you have a woman who's trying to be positive and she's trying to be diligent and all the things that I just described about, there's a simple reality.
SPEAKER_00: There are times in her life where she will hit the wall.
SPEAKER_00: She'll hit the wall.
SPEAKER_00: And as husbands and as families, we need to give her time to recharge these moments of solace time, times maybe alone, times with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: There was um this one mom that every day what she would do, she would put this sign on her bedroom door, M I P, Mom in Prayer, and she'd lock the door.
SPEAKER_00: And even as she would do that, her kids would come and knock on the door and go, Mom, the door's locked.
SPEAKER_00: Why's the door locked?
SPEAKER_00: And she goes, Because I have to have some time alone.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because um, I need to talk to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because I'm so stressed out.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because you drive me crazy, that's why.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: And so all of us are here like, yeah, we want a positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: Then you better help her out.
SPEAKER_00: You better give her those seasons, those moments where she gets a little solace time to recharge in her life.
SPEAKER_00: And so, Proverbs 31 is this positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: She has a positive outlook in life, she gives positive words, she has a positive work ethic.
SPEAKER_00: Well, what's the result of all that?
SPEAKER_00: Java this on your outline.
SPEAKER_00: The rewards of a positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I love the book of Proverbs because the book of Proverbs is so practical to where we live.
SPEAKER_00: And the book of Proverbs basically gives you cause and effect.
SPEAKER_00: The book of Proverbs will go, okay, hey, if you do this, then here's gonna be the result.
SPEAKER_00: If you do these foolish things, okay, here's the foolish consequences that are coming your way, right?
SPEAKER_00: Or if you do these positive things, then here are the positive results.
SPEAKER_00: And so Proverbs 31 describes this amazing positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: What can she expect?
SPEAKER_00: What are the results?
SPEAKER_00: Two things.
SPEAKER_00: Jot this down.
SPEAKER_00: First of all, she will be honored by her family.
SPEAKER_00: She'll be honored by her family.
SPEAKER_00: Now, today is Mother's Day, and hope that all the moms have been honored by their family, and that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00: We should do that.
SPEAKER_00: But this proverb says that we should honor moms on a regular basis.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what it says, verse 28.
SPEAKER_00: Her children rise up and bless her.
SPEAKER_00: Her husband also praises her, saying, Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all.
SPEAKER_00: Now notice what it says there.
SPEAKER_00: It says, Children will rise up and bless.
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: That early on, kids do not bless their mom very much.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: There are just not a lot of praises going on.
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of thankless times in parenting.
SPEAKER_00: Very first time you hold that baby in your arm and you hear that thump, thump, thump of the heart, and you think it's just a little heartbeat, but no, it's a time bomb about to go off, right?
SPEAKER_00: And you realize, oh my goodness, what's going on?
SPEAKER_00: And the early developmental years of childhood are almost always governed by Murphy's law.
SPEAKER_00: If something bad will happen, it will happen.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: If you got jelly toast, it always lands jelly side down.
SPEAKER_00: If your child gets sick, they never get sick in the bathroom.
SPEAKER_00: It's always in the living room carpet or in your bedroom.
SPEAKER_00: And your kids, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: They'll gag at the sight of vegetables, but they'll eagerly eat the dog food out of the dog dish.
SPEAKER_00: How can this be?
SPEAKER_00: Because kids initially are not all that grateful.
SPEAKER_00: They're hard to be with.
SPEAKER_00: But the Bible promises something.
SPEAKER_00: The Bible promises that eventually children will rise up.
SPEAKER_00: They will thank you for the sacrifices.
SPEAKER_00: They will appreciate you for the support.
SPEAKER_00: They will encourage you through all the things that you've encouraged them for.
SPEAKER_00: So, folks, don't take your mom for granted.
SPEAKER_00: She went to the valley of the shadow of death to bring you life.
SPEAKER_00: She is someone that, you know what, cared for you when you were helpless, prayed for you when you were hopeless.
SPEAKER_00: She loved you when you were unlovely.
SPEAKER_00: She is an example of Christ in our midst.
SPEAKER_00: And every one of us should rise up and bless our moms, right?
SPEAKER_00: That's the first reward of a positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: Your family will rise up and bless you.
SPEAKER_00: But there's a second thing, and it's this.
SPEAKER_00: Shout this down.
SPEAKER_00: She will also be honored by her Lord.
SPEAKER_00: She'll also be honored by our Lord.
SPEAKER_00: One day every mom is going to stand before the Lord, and I believe that if you are a positive mom, he's going to say, Well done.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what it says, verse 30.
SPEAKER_00: Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away.
SPEAKER_00: But a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
SPEAKER_00: Now, most women in our culture will spend most of their time focused on outward beauty, right?
SPEAKER_00: You got all these magazines, you know, you know, style magazines and beauty magazines.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not against women being beautiful.
SPEAKER_00: Go for it.
SPEAKER_00: This is awesome, right?
SPEAKER_00: But can I just tell you something?
SPEAKER_00: That beauty can be deceiving.
SPEAKER_00: And the reason why it's deceiving is because it will fade away.
SPEAKER_00: It will.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you can take a look at all the supermodels of 40 years ago and then you look at them today.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: That's a reality.
SPEAKER_00: Old age is coming for every one of us.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna fade away.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the sad reality.
SPEAKER_00: There was one psychological study of women just reading style magazines, beauty magazines.
SPEAKER_00: And this is what they discovered.
SPEAKER_00: Just three minutes of reading a beauty magazine, 70% of women start feeling discouraged and depressed.
SPEAKER_00: Just three minutes.
SPEAKER_00: See, that's our culture.
SPEAKER_00: We're bombarded with this all the time.
SPEAKER_00: But there's another kind of beauty, a beauty of the soul.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not based on the clothes you wear, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
SPEAKER_00: It is the beauty of her soul, it's the beauty of her heart, it's the beauty of her service, it's the beauty of her tongue, it's the love and passion that she has.
SPEAKER_00: And can I tell you that kind of beauty never gets old?
SPEAKER_00: And so, ladies, when the world says focus on this, you make a choice.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I'm gonna focus on you.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I know the world's telling me to chase after this, but God, I want to chase after you and seek you.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna focus and honor on you.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna put you first in my heart and life, and God will produce an inner beauty that never fades away.
SPEAKER_00: Because listen, that is what's gonna sustain you when nothing else is going your way.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Because there's gonna be plenty of times as moms that you're sacrificing and you're like, nobody's patting me on the back.
SPEAKER_00: There's gonna be plenty of times, week after week, you're in a loveless marriage and you're going, Why am I staying here?
SPEAKER_00: Or you know what, you're choosing to do the right thing because it's the right thing, and you think nobody sees.
SPEAKER_00: Ladies, let me remind you something.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord sees.
SPEAKER_00: He sees you and he honors you.
SPEAKER_00: And one day, the Bible says when you stand before him, he's gonna look at you and he's gonna say, Well done, good and faithful servant, for all the sacrifices that you made.
SPEAKER_00: Come enter into the joy of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's gonna make it all worthwhile in that moment.
SPEAKER_00: Let me close with this.
SPEAKER_00: I read the story about um this boy who wanted to really get a part in the school play.
SPEAKER_00: And so his mom knew that, you know, he just did not have any acting talent.
SPEAKER_00: And so she knew he wasn't gonna probably get a part, and so she decides to go to school early and um, you know, um pick him up, get front line of the pickup line.
SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, he comes to the car and she's you know, well, how did the day go?
SPEAKER_00: And she's expecting to comfort him.
SPEAKER_00: And he goes, Mom, I got a part in the play.
SPEAKER_00: And she goes, You did?
SPEAKER_00: And he goes, Yeah, it's not a speaking part, but my teacher said it's the most important part of all.
SPEAKER_00: And she goes, What's that?
SPEAKER_00: He says, I get to sit on the sidelines and clap and cheer for everybody else.
SPEAKER_00: Sweet.
SPEAKER_00: Moms, you have clapped and cheered for us when nobody else did.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
SPEAKER_00: We rise up today and we bless you, but I also want you to know that one day when you stand before the Lord, those nail pierced hands will applaud for you when he says, Well done.
SPEAKER_00: You were an amazing, positive mom.
SPEAKER_00: Come enter the joy of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, you'll know it's worth it all.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Mom.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you so much for your word.
SPEAKER_00: I thank you, Lord, for the example we have of this model woman.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I know that we all fall short.
SPEAKER_00: We all wish we were better.
SPEAKER_00: But Lord, we need you.
SPEAKER_00: We need your grace, we need your forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: We can all confess that we've blown it in the past, but today's a new day.
SPEAKER_00: So, Lord, will you please empower us and help us?
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I pray your blessings over every mom here today, and may they genuinely feel your honor and your words well done.
SPEAKER_00: God, we pray this in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.