A Mother's Questions!

Rev. George R. Dillahunty
Freedom Fellowship (COG)
685 Grant Avenue
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452-3047

April 27, 2009

Text: Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)

"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (v. 29) Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (v. 30) For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Topic: A Mother’s Questions!

Martina Phillips, a mother with a wayward son whom she hasn’t seen for four (4) years, has a lot of questions - tough questions - while I don’t have all the answers, I do know Someone who can help! As we celebrate Mother’s Day, there are some mothers who are rejoicing; but, there are others, like Martina Phillips, who are hurting - it’s always that way, isn’t it?

Our Holy Scripture text, for today, consists of red-letter Words, which means that they were spoken by Jesus, the Christ, Himself! The psalmist, in Psalm 116:7 (KJV), tells us: "Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me."

The Message Bible (MSG), interprets our Holy Scripture text, in this fashion: "Are yo tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. (v. 29) Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of Grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. (v. 30) Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."

The Message Bible (MSG), interprets the psalmist, in Psalm 116:7 (MSG), in this fashion: "I said to myself, ’Relax and rest, God has showered you with blessings."

Let’s look at some of Martina’s questions, shall we? She asks the how questions! "How does a parent, who has prayed daily, deal with the rebellion of a child? How does a loving parent accept the rejection of her offspring? How does a parent keep from giving up hope? How does a parent resist envy and bitterness when other people’s children progress?"

She asks the why questions! "Why does free will have to take us so far from God? Why is it so hard to accept that this might be part of the Master’s plan? Why do the happy parents never ask about the unhappy ones? Why do children see loving parents as their enemies? Why are these children choosing the wrong path first? Why are they so selfish?"

She asks the where questions! "Where is all this chaos going? Where are the answers? Where is the glimmer of hope? Where are the others who are needed to walk alongside? Where can a parent find comfort? Where does a parent learn to understand this pain? Where do the tears go that are shed for these wayward children?"

And, she asks the what questions! "What is the parent of a wayward child to do? What does a person do to dispel her fears? What next? What can I say? What can I do?"

Not all children go as far astray as Martina Phillips’ son; but, some do; and, all of them - at one time or another - do not do exactly what we think they should! Jesus, the Christ, in our Holy Scripture text, for today, gives us probably the most famous promise ever made! As I have said, I don’t have the answers to all the tough questions; but, He tells us that we can go to Him to draw comfort when we are experiencing the circumstances that lead us to ask those questions! Jesus, the Christ,