The Heart of the Home

It is a joy to gather on this beautiful Sunday, May 10th. While the sun climbs higher in the sky, our hearts are turned toward a very specific kind of warmth—the love of a mother. 

We often think of Mothering Sunday as a permanent fixture of the calendar, but the modern Mother’s Day we celebrate today has a poignant history. It wasn’t started by a card company, but by a daughter named Anna Jarvis. On 10 May 1908, held the first official memorial service for her own mother in West Virginia. Her vision wasn’t about commercial gifts; it was about “The Memorial Day for Mothers”. The original theme was simple: “The Most Best Mother Who Ever Lived—Your Own”. She chose the white carnation as the symbol because it represented the purity, faithfulness, and charity of a mother’s love. 

When we look for the “why” behind our gratitude, we find it woven into the very fabric of Scripture. There is a beautiful verse in Proverbs 31:28 that captures the essence of today: “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her”. This isn’t just about a woman doing chores or being “perfect”. It is about a woman whose character and devotion create a legacy so strong that her family cannot help but stop and acknowledge it. A mother’s influence is often the first glimpse a child gets of God’s unconditional grace. 

Speaking of influence, few people understood the power of a mother better than D.L. Moody. For those who might not know, Dwight L. Moody was one of the most prominent American evangelists of the 19th century. He was a man of humble beginnings who founded schools and churches, shaking two continents with his preaching. Yet, he attributed his success not to his own intellect, but to the woman who raised him in poverty after his father passed away. 

Moody famously said: “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. I tell you, if the world were full of mothers like mine, they would have to shut up all the prisons.” He saw in his mother a grit and a faith that kept a family of nine together against all odds. He believed that a mother’s prayers were more powerful than a governor’s laws. 

As we reflect on these stories and scriptures, it’s worth asking ourselves: how do we truly honour the mothers in our lives? 

Motherhood is a high calling, but it is also a heavy one. It involves sleepless nights, quiet sacrifices, and a constant “worrying of the heart” that never quite goes away, even when the children are grown. Today isn’t just for those who have biological children; it is for the aunties, the grandmothers, and the “spiritual mothers” who have mentored and sheltered us. 

Encouragement: Don’t let the day pass with just a card or a quick phone call. Take a moment to tell her—or the person who filled that role—exactly which part of her character helped shape yours. 

If today is a difficult day because of loss or a strained relationship, remember that the “Mother Heart” of God is described in the Bible as a source of comfort that never fails. May we all leave here today with a deeper appreciation for the hands that rocked our cradles and the hearts that prayed us into the people we are today. 

~ TBCD NEWSLETTER | MOTHER’S DAY | 10.05.2026

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