The 1st Mother's Day

Mother’s Day …. is today! I hope you aren’t too saturated with Mother’s Day stories already. Oh! And if you hurry you still have time to wish someone a happy Mother’s Day.
Yesterday I noticed a marquee in front of our local flower shop proclaiming “Celebrate moms.  The original seatbelt.”  I know.  I laughed too.  If you were born before the 1970s, you will remember that wearing seatbelts was recommended, but not required.  My kids wore seatbelts, but they also unbuckled when I wasn’t looking.  Consequently, to this day, when I have to slam on the breaks or make a quick turn, my right arm still flies out to hold back the child who is no longer there. Anyone else?  I thought so.
So let’s have a little quiz today. Come on.  It will be an easy one….well, maybe.  When was the first Mother’s day?  Go ahead and Google it or Bing it along – we’ll wait right here.
Did you guess in the 1600s when Christians in England honored Mary? That would be a no.
Did you guess during the Civil War when activist Julia Ward Howe called upon all the mothers to stop the insanity of the war and instead celebrate peace and motherhood? Well, that was a noble cause, but no, that wasn’t the first Mother’s Day.
Maybe you remember the story of Anna Jarvis, who after years of caring for her ailing mom pushed for a special day to celebrate mothers – and she won.  On May 10, 1908 she pulled it off and that was the official Mother’s Day. But sorry, that was not the first Mother’s Day.
So when was the first Mother’s Day?  Glad you asked.  I searched for a date but couldn’t find one, but here’s what I did find.  Sometime before the first recorded date in history, sometime before 2500 BC, Eve became a mom.  Genesis 4:1 confirms that Eve gave birth to a baby boy and named him Cain. Here’s what it says in the Message translation.  “… Eve conceived and had Cain. She said, “I’ve gotten a chikf, with God’s help!” Did you notice the added recognition?  Even at the earliest time, after she was kicked out of the beautiful Garden of Eden because of her sin, Eve gives the credit to God for allowing her to conceive and have a baby.  That tells me two things:
–         Eve had reconciled and been forgiven by God
–         Eve admitted that in her
own strength, even with Adam’s help, she had nothing without God
Today we celebrate mothers.  If you are a mother, someone is thinking of you today. What does every living person have in common? A mother – and every place you go today, you will hear or see something about celebrating moms.  This is not your average Hallmark holiday.  It’s real and it started back in Genesis.
I am not a Proverbs 31 woman, but it’s something to aspire to.  I’ve never figured out how to cover all the things that wife and mother did and still have energy to rise before it’s light.  Proverbs 31:10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
Please enjoy this day – because remember …. No matter what, no matter where, true life happens, when God is there.   Happy Mother’s Day – Happy Everyone Day