Mothers Day

Let me start off by saying Happy Mother's Day to every one in this room, every single woman in this room. Now, you may not know much about me, but I'll give you a few things to know, okay? I am a 36 year old, 5 foot 1, wife and mom of 3, who firmly believes with all her heart that she is 16 and 5 foot 7, with three shadows behind her. If you need to know anything else about me, I love to study the women of the Bible. I don't know when that began, but I think if I had to trace it back, it's probably around the time there's a lot of prophecies over myself and my husband's life, and I just had to, you know, study the greats, and not just you know, the Davids and the Moseses, but those women that were attached to them. So yes, we have our Esther's and our Mary's, but the ones I hold dear to are the ones that have one line, those whose names aren't uttered in the Bible, the Zipporahs, the Eunices, the Jacobeds, and for some reason, God puts it on my heart to study these very women, because they are not just women who exist in the story, they author it. And that is why God downloaded this sermon into my heart for you all today, that we women are not just part of the story, we author it. And so with, you know, studying for a sermon, God took me to the most favorite verses and chapters for all women, Proverbs 31. We love that verse in that chapter so much, don't we? It's just a great laundry list of things that we should be doing, that we uphold ourselves against, but God has shown me that it is it is also a chapter that has been distorted, that has been tainted, and he wants me to reveal to you the true meaning that he wants you to get from Proverbs 31. So we're not even gonna look at those 17 or so verses that list the laundry list of things to do of waking up at 5 a.m. or making clothes from wool. Nobody's doing that, okay? Nobody has time for that. But we're gonna start from the very beginning of chapters 31, which is verse 1. And most people, I know, they don't really pay attention to verses 1 through 9 because it seems like it's not even part of Proverbs 31. Honestly, it starts with the verse, verse 1 says this, the sayings of King Lemuel, an inspired utterance his mother taught him. Now why are we God see fit to start Proverbs 31 with this very verse? Why this verse? Not the one that we've, you know, proclaimed and

gave much light to, verses 10 through 27. Why not those? Why not start there? There's something important we need to know before we even get into the character of a noble woman. This chapter doesn't start with the woman, it starts with a king recounting the wisdom of his mother. A king who wasn't always a king. He was, you know, the terrible twos at one point. He was the defiant teenager at one point. The young adult just getting their lives together. But now he is a king and he is recounting the inspired wisdom from his mother. It doesn't begin with her duties. God wants us to see that it begins with her influence. And that is where the title of our sermon starts today, of give her her flowers. Because it's not about what we see, that laundry list of verses 7 of 10 through 27, it is what she sows that will never fully trace. Some of us this very day are living off the very words that these important women in our lives have spoken over us. We've built ourselves upon it, shaped ourselves. ourselves, go about our days thinking about the words that they've spoken over us or to us. So before scripture even describes her character, it reveals her impact. And we ought to honor the voice that has formed us and shaped us. Because once we realize the wisdom she carries, you start to understand her value. Which then takes us to verse 10. And this is a verse that many of us know. A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Now if you're studying correctly, it would lead you to question why rubies? We have known today that diamonds are a girl's best friend. So why a ruby? That means there's something profound about a ruby.

Rubies are something that cannot be replicated or mass produced. They are formed under pressure over time. They are rare and difficult to find and not easily replicated, not easily obtained. You have to have such diligence to dig and mine out a ruby. You have to have a persistence about you to keep digging and surpass the gems, the other gems, the diamonds, the opals, the amethysts and all the other things, till when you find a rare ruby. So what does this say? What does God want us to know? God wants us to know that what culture celebrates isn't always what God esteems. Culture assigns value based on visibility, but God assigns value based on a woman's character. Her value is not rooted in the trends, the beauty, her charisma, her status or her performance. It comes from what she carries internally. So rightfully so, we should give her her flowers, right? It's not about the kindness, the thank yous, the manners. Thank you for doing this. It's not about that. It's about rightfully honoring someone that cost something to become. Her worth isn't just seen in who she is privately, but becomes visible in what her life produces publicly. Scripture is very adamant about not leaving her value abstract.

It says it right there. It says she's worth more than rubies. Who can find? And we can actually trace her impact of her presence in everyone's lives to everyone connected to her. Verse 23 says, a husband is respected at the city gate where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. Now I know this verse can sound like it's about the husband and it's about the man, but it's not. It's about the actual ecosystem that she sets around him. It's at the city gate that he takes place. That is a public place of leadership where there is influence and decision-making happens. This very verse says that his position is not isolated. It is supported. Supported by her diligence and her wisdom and the covering to create a space among them. This verse is saying she does not exist to make him great. It's showing what she carries impacts everything connected to her. It's not about minimizing her role. This verse reveals her reach. So giving her her flowers is acknowledging the unseen support behind the visible success. The environment she stabilizes that others get credit for. So when you read the rest of Proverbs 31 and you read verses 10 through 29, and yes, she's washing the dishes and she's doing the homework and she's working offsite and she's having late nights

and she wakes up early in the mornings. It's not about her performance in the things. It's what she's cultivating in them. in the midst of those things. There are people in this room who are here today because of the women surrounding you that prayed over you and covered you, who showed up for you. And once you truly recognize that woman's impact in your life, silence is no longer an inappropriate response. When you fully see the weight of what someone carries, quiet appreciation no longer is sufficient. Even in Proverbs 31, God gives us a command. It's subtle, but he gives us a command that we should do. And that's in verses 28 and 31. Her children arise and call her blessed. Her husband also. And he praises her, honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. This is a response section for this entire chapter. Arise, which is intentional and an active acknowledgement. Call her blessed, spoken over her, allowed, not assumed. Let her works praise her, public honor, not private appreciation only. These two verses challenge silent gratitude, occasional appreciation, and minimizing her contribution. It's for this reason that I preach this to you today, because flowers were not meant to be given once a year. And honor was never meant to be seasonal. When I was growing up, from the ages of like six to 14, I used to take dance classes. And it was a very long process of my life. We would have competitions and those were take the bulk of my mother's day. Thank you so much, mommy. And I've been all the classes, seven different classes, ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary,

all the things. And in my class, there was a good bunch of us, but a few of my closest friends at the time, they were of the Jewish faith. And being around them, we would have our little sleepovers and our get togethers and all the things. But they had something about their tradition and their religion that was just beautiful me to learn at that time. You guys might have heard of something called Shabbat, right? That is something they do every Friday, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, a dedicated time where they slow down, they come together and they gather around the table. They light the candles, they eat a meal. But it is something that they do every Friday at Shabbat dinner that I think we should take note of. The men of the family and everyone else gather and they shout over the woman of the family. And they shout and recite every Friday, Proverbs 31. Their intention about this, this is their intentional rhythm. So what should we learn from that today? Honor was never meant to be occasional. It was something to be practiced. Not assumed, not felt silently, and not saved for special occasions such as today. Honor is something to be spoken and expressed and repeated. So we're going to put that into practice today. As I was speaking, there might have been a few women that came to your mind, the ones that impacted your life, the ones who spoke over you, prayed over you beyond what you may have known. And right now what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you a moment to take out your phones and text that woman. I've heard the words of affirmation that she rightfully deserves. Say thank you. If you have nothing else to say, say thank you.

I don't know what you've done. You have no idea how you impacted my life, do that right now. Take out your phones and text that woman. And if you can't, if that woman is no longer with us, I want you to take the moment to do what King Lemuel did and recount an inspired piece of wisdom that she shared with you. Something that shaped your life to this very day. And then secondly, what we're going to do, because you know the saying, mama didn't raise no fool, I am going to ask the mother of all mothers of TFH to join me on this stage so we can rightfully give her her flowers, Ms. Marlise. And while we have Marlise up here, I'm going to ask every woman in the room to please stand. And I want you to take a look around this room of all the stories that are in this room. Every woman that plays a part in someone's life. And I want the rest of the room to give them the loudest applause and cheer. I pray you feel this every day, not just on Mother's Day. May you feel supported and seen, may it not be assumed, may it be spoken over your lives every day. Can we thank God for my wife and the word that he's given her. I pray it blessed you and impacted you. And can I say something? As she spoke, it's not lost on me how many people will feel like, you know, I'm not seen. I'm not heard. My sacrifices have gone unnoticed. Can I tell you, God sees every single thing that you do. It's not lost on him. Continue to show up, continue to be faithful. The Bible says don't grow tired of doing good because at the right time you will reap a harvest. And there's an old song that I used to sing at my old church and they say, God is singing over you. So know that God is singing over you.

He's cheering you on and everything that you do, he's taking it down and he's watching. So know that you are not missed. And for my wife, we have some women here who also want to honor you, your faithfulness, your commitment, the things that you've sold. It's not lost on me. It's not lost on the house. It's not lost on these women. So I'm going to ask Carolyn to come forward or Marlise, who's going to do it? Marlise, whoever's going to do it. It is my honor to stand in front of you today. You said in your message that her impact is seen in all those that surrounds her. I am one of those in your life. Your impact, Cass, from the very beginning, the way you walk through a room, reminds me that today we are not just celebrating or announcing a new season, but we are thanking God for his faithfulness and his goodness through your life. The maternal. Can we just recognize that the maternal heart of God is something this world yearns and longs for, and it's reflected in you, and the way you strung your message today. Wow, wow, wow. Can we take a moment as we honor her? Can we just pray? Can we reach and extend our hands towards Cass today? And join me in prayer over this beautiful life, and Lord, as, and if you wanna gather, yes, around me. As I listened this morning to her speak, Lord, I was reminded of the scripture in Isaiah 58, where you say that you who calls those, you will direct and form their steps.

You will make them like a well-watered garden whose springs will never fail. And Lord, today I speak that over Cass, that she will be a well-watered garden, a spring whose waters will never fail, that she will be, as that scripture continues, to be a repairer and a restorer of all that God has assigned to her life. And I have a feeling it is not just in this house, but beyond these boundaries in this city, and all that you have in store for her. Father, I thank you today that we acknowledge many, many, many will flourish because of her, yes. Today we stand united as we pray that she will find her strength and her confidence in you. Father, I thank you that you surround her with friends, with people who hold her hands up high. Lord, I bless her marriage, I bless her motherhood, I bless her voice, I bless her creativity, I bless her influence. Today we lift up her children before you. I pray specifically for, I don't know if they're on this stage, but if you've seen those three babies, we pray for Anissa, we pray for Crete, and we pray for Haven. Lord, thank you that even in their young, young years, you have such a special calling on their lives. Thank you that she gets to mother them. Thank you that you form their own personalities. Father, thank you for wisdom in the Cody house.

Thank you for laughter, and joy, and goodness, and health. And I thank you that they will be tucked into the joy and wonder of serving your house. So today, Lord, we acknowledge this beautiful vessel. Thank you for preparing her way before she had a title, because we know the calling of God is stewarded through your spirit. Thank you for weaving her together in her mother's womb, and for us being a part of her story. And we honor her today, and the church in Jesus' name says amen. Amen.