A Few Good Men and One Blessed Mom

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her... a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised." Proverbs 31:28, 30b

It was a most unexpected Mother's Day gift. Sunday morning I arrived at our church worship service just as the organ prelude had begun. I quickly settled in my seat and grabbed a hug from my four-year old granddaughter Caroline. Bruce had dropped me off at the front of the church, parked our car, and dropped James Bruce off at his Special Ones Sunday School class. Our corporate worship service quickly moved through the first few steps of our order of worship: the invocation, Gospel word of salvation; greeting of grace and peace; and the opening hymn, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," one of my favorites because Meredith choose it for her wedding service nine years ago.

Bruce was just taking his seat next to me when our pastor announced, "Any man or boy who would like to acknowledge his wife or mother on Mother's Day, please come to the front and into the choir loft and join our Men and Boys Mother's Day chorus. The rest of you who don't wish to acknowledge your wife or mother, please stay in your seats." There was a moment's hesitation as men and boys looked questioningly at each other before stepping out into the aisles and moving toward the front. Literally hundreds of men and boys came forward, filled our choir loft, spilled into the orchestra pit, and out onto the main stage. There were some amazed and slightly uncomfortable giggles as the women( and I'm sure the men too) wondered how all of this was going to work. We'd never seen anything quite like this. The "Chorus" hadn't practiced, of course. Up until two minutes ago, the men hadn't even known they were going to be singing. What song would they sing?

Our minister of music led the Men and Boys chorus in singing the two stanzas of In Christ Alone and all five verse of Amazing Grace. The men began singing:

In Christ alone my hope is found   He is my light, my strength, my song   This Cornerstone, this solid Ground   Firm through the fiercest drought and storm   What heights of love, what depths of peace   When fears are stilled, when strivings cease   My Comforter, my All in All   Here in the love of Christ I stand

I found myself suddenly crying, grateful for hundreds of godly men, fathers and sons, who were willing to get out of their collective comfort zones, sing corporate praises to God, and give corporate honor to us wives and moms. I found myself not just being grateful for my children and the extraordinary privilege of being a Mama and GrandMama, but extraordinarily grateful for my husband Bruce. When James Bruce was five years old, Bruce challenged me to quit praying for God to make James Bruce normal and start praying that God would use him for His glory. I angrily questioned how God could (or would) ever use James Bruce. Bruce gently, but firmly, replied, "We're going to trust Him and see." 29 years later each day is still an exercise in trusting God to answer that prayer. And each day, I'm grateful for a faithful husband and Dad who chose not to walk out the door and continues to faithfully serve our family. Currently 50% of typical marriages end in divorce. That divorce rate increases to 85-90% for special needs marriages. 

So this Mother's Day, I am grateful for the husbands and Dads who sacrificially choose to stay and serve their families. I'm grateful for this morning's beautiful Men and Boys Mother's Day Chorus. That picture of godly husbands, fathers, sons, and grandsons leading the way in worship and thanksgiving for God's Divine Design- the family. 

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

Amen and Amen!