[ampaterry]

As sub-moa said, today is mothers day, and I am going to exercise the prerogative of the author of these devotionals, and make this one a tribute to my mother.

Mom was born in 1905. In those days, only the very wealthy could afford to continue their education, the rest needed to go to work to help support the family. My mom went through the 5th grade in school, then did exactly that.

In spite of this lack of formal education, Mom had one of the finest minds I have ever encountered. I was enrolled in college level science classes while I was in high school, and I hit a snag one night in my math homework in one of these courses. Mom asked me to explain the problem to her, and I did. She asked a couple more questions about it, read part of the textbook, and explained how I needed to work the problem. I worked it that way, and when the homework was graded I discovered she was right.

Years before that incident, the federal education system convinced me that God did not exist, and I became an atheist at a very young age. Mom had a deep faith in Jesus Christ, even though she seldom attended church. I would bring this evidence or that problem home to her, hoping to help her shed this 'crutch' of religion. None of it ever phased her in the least, other than the obvious hurt I caused her by being a non-believer.

As I continued to study, around the tenth grade I began to see problems with the idea that science had all the answers, and I started seeking. After more years, God revealed to me the truth of Mom's faith, and did it in such a way that I have never wavered since. I am very glad that this happened while my Mom was alive to see it, because her pleasure at this was obvious. Now, she is in the arms of Jesus, who she loved and worked to be like all those years.

Thank you, Mom, for all that you did for me.

And thank you, Lord, for giving me a mother that could put up with my years of idiocy, and for keeping her here long enough to see me recover from it.

What can you do to please your mother? Strive for righteousness!
Proverbs 23:24-25 (KJV);
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

May God bless all of you, guys, and give a SPECIAL blessing to all mothers here today -