4 Ways to Love Your Mom on Mother’s Day

My mom has taken care of me since the day I was born. She nursed me when I was an infant, held my hand when I was a toddler learning to walk, and bandaged my cuts and scrapes when I was an elementary school kid playing hard. My mom has done so much for me, and the Bible tells me to honor her and love her back (see Ephesians 6:1-3).

There is one day a year when almost every daughter and son from all across America, and even the globe, buy chocolates, cards, and treats for their mom. We spend extra time thinking about how to show appreciation to mothers on one special day: Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show God’s love to someone you interact with daily: your mom. Of course, you and I shouldn't show God's love to our moms only on Mother’s Day, but it’s a good opportunity to show them extra appreciation.

We are called love people, your mom and my mom included! Here are 4 ways you can show love to your mom on Mother’s Day.

1. Help her relax.

My mom spends countless hours caring for me and my siblings. If a mom works, she usually comes home to even more responsibilities. There are children that need taking care of, meals that need cooking, and chores that need to be done. My mom recently told me that it’s hard for her to find rest in the midst of all the responsibilities she has. One way I am going to show love to my mom (and you can show love to yours, too) is by helping to ease the pressure and weight of responsibilities on her. I often don’t realize the extent to which my mom gives up her time and energy for me and my siblings. I want to give up my time and energy in return so my mom can have rest.

So I’ll ask my mom what chores she needs done or what she needs help with and do it for her the day before Mother’s Day. If the floors need vacuuming, dishes need washing, or bathrooms need cleaning, I’ll do it. Then, on Mother’s Day, she’ll have less things to worry about and more time to spend with the ones she loves.

Of course, this is something I should do everyday, not just on Mother’s Day. My mom deserves appreciation on more than one day of the year--she deserves appreciation every day!

2. Tell her how thankful you are for her.

Words make a big impact. The Bible has lots to say about how we should speak. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells Christians to “encourage one another and build one another up.” But even if someone isn’t a Christian, we should still speak kind words to them because we are instructed to love everyone, non-Christians included (Matthew 5:44).

My mom loves hearing words of thanks. She does so much for my siblings and I, and it’s the least I can do to tell her “thank you.”

Think about a time when you’ve gone out of your way for someone. Did they say thank you or ignore what you did? How did it make you feel? If they said thank you, I bet it made you feel really good and want to do something nice for them again. If they ignored your kind act, I bet it made you wonder why you even bothered to do it.

A mother usually goes out of her way for her children every single day. But sometimes it’s easy to forget to thank my mother for what she does. Saying “thank you” can be hard sometimes because it requires humility, but it’s worth it.

You can show appreciation to your mother by verbally thanking her for all she does, writing a heartfelt note or card, or in many other ways. Whatever form you choose, I challenge you to thank your mom on Mother’s Day.

3. Spend time with God together.

Praising and spending time with God with others can strengthen your relationship with them. When people strive to learn and grow in their faith together, they have a common goal and become more united. Plus, it can strengthen your relationship with God to learn about Him with other people, because people often give new insights about Him that you wouldn’t have learned on your own.

If your mom is a believer, try to spend time with Jesus together on Mother’s Day. If she’s not a believer, try to show her what Jesus looks like, whether that be with actions or with words. By spending time with Jesus, we spend time focusing on the One who exemplifies true love. This helps us to better love those around us--including our mom.

Spending time with God with my mom, since she’s a Christian, can be something as little as singing along to worship music together on a car ride. It can be going to church together--Mother’s Day is a Sunday, after all. It can be reading our Bibles together, watching a Christian movie, or discussing our faith--they’re all meaningful!

Spending time with God with a non-Christian mom can be something as big as sharing the Gospel with her to something as impactful as showing Jesus’ love by doing something for her.

How are you going to spend time with God and your mom today?

4. Be thoughtful.

Does your mom have a favorite restaurant she likes to visit? My mom has a few. Has your mom been talking about a new book she’s heard about, mentioned a mini-golf place several times, or made several comments about a something she wants to do together?

We should listen to what people say so we can act thoughtfully, among other things. For example, my mom has said that she wants a day off from her responsibilities, so I’m going to try to make Mother’s Day as relaxing as possible for her.

She’ll know I’ve been listening to her if I give her that day off. And I hope she’ll feel incredibly loved.

It takes effort to listen to people so we can figure out how to best serve them. But God listens to us through prayer even though He already knows what we all need and how to give us what we most desire--He shows us the importance of listening by demonstrating good listening. God also tells us to be “quick to hear” in James and that “faith comes by hearing” the Word of God in Romans 10:17.

What has your mom been talking about lately? Is there any thoughtful thing you could do for her?

Go out and love your mom!

Remember, these suggestions are by no means limited to Mother’s Day! I’m sure your mother would appreciate you doing these things for her any day of the week, because I know mine would. Matthew 22:39 tells us to love our neighbors. A mother is one of the closest people to us--doesn’t she count as a neighbor?

I challenge you to show your love for your mom on Mother’s Day by helping her relax, expressing your appreciation for her, spending time with God together, and being thoughtful. Showing love to my mom can be a challenge, but I know it’s worth it. What are you going to do on Mother’s Day?