There are three things every mother desires and they might not be what you're thinking. The first is to know she's loved. The second is to know she is of value to her family. Thirdly, she wants to be appreciated, just anyone would want for all their hard work.
This year instead of doing the same old thing, try using Mother's Day as an excuse to act on your love, her value to you, and pour on the appreciation. Let's take a look at how we can apply these things in our life.
Make sure she knows you love her.
Taking our queue from God, who gave Himself so we could live, we too should give of our self to show our love. How better to do that than to sacrifice our time for our mother? Here are a few ideas:
Send a card with a heartfelt, handwritten note inside.
Sacrifice your plans and spend the day with her doing what she wants to do.
Enjoy a conversation with her where you ask her questions rather than talk about yourself.
Give her the gift of a free afternoon, while you watch the kids.
Give her the gift of a tranquil moment by drawing a quiet bath, with candles and mood music for her.
Make sure she knows you value her.
How do we show we value someone? One way is by showing respect. A friend of mine always told her kids, "Please treat your siblings as if they were strangers." Sounds kind of strange doesn't it? Think about it, aren't you more polite to total strangers? Why are we more respectful towards people we don't know? Why do we take for granted those we love who are closest to us? I don't know but perhaps we should pretend mom is a stranger, so we treat our self into treating her more respectfully.
Another way to value your mother is to listen to what she says. Let's face it she's lived longer than us. If we would humble our self and listen to her words of wisdom, we might discover she's right. By listening we are giving respect where it's due.
One other way of valuing her is to spend time with her. Time is our most precious commodity. Once time is spent it's gone forever and can't be used again. If you are willing to spend time it sends the signal that she matters to you. Spending time means she is important to you.
Make sure she knows she is appreciated.
Here are a few ideas to your mom know you care:
Tell her "thank you" for helping you with your schoolwork.
Tell her "thank you" for caring for you when you were ill.
Tell her "thank you" for doing your laundry.
Tell her "thank you" for making you breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Tell her "thank you" for driving you places.
Tell her "thank you" for cleaning the house.
Using manners and politeness is always appreciated. Flowers and cards are equally nice. Don't forget her birthday and anniversary. These are very important to her. Remembering those will go a long way in letting her know you appreciate her.
These three things love, value and appreciation are lasting gifts that don't fade away. Giving these gifts will deposit rewards in heaven, because they are unselfish, honoring to God, and to the person they are bestowed upon. Your good deeds will not go unnoticed either. So if you want to give mom the best Mother's Day, try lavishing the love, turn up the volume of her value, and start abundantly appreciating her. You won't regret it.
Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God's Word. For more devotions, bible studies and a recommended book store, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.
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