“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Happy Friday everyone. Who said this? “Humpty, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? No.” The answer? Humpty Dumpty’s mother. Moms, how many of you can relate? But don’t give up, moms. Your voice is very important and very powerful. By the last trimester of pregnancy, babies hear and react to their mother’s voice.

She speaks, and they wiggle, move, and their heart rate changes. Infants, just days old have been shown to be able to identify their mother’s voice. Babies show less stress over procedures like blood draws when they are allowed to hear their mother’s voice. And even if another female, using the same words and the same kind of baby talk happens to speak to children, the studies show that they prefer and tune into the voice of their own mother.

With each passing day, and especially on Mother’s Day, I can’t tell you how I’ve still longed to hear the voice of my own dear mother, who is now at home with the Lord. And in a similar way, as children listen to their mother’s voice, sheep will respond to the voice of their shepherd.

Jesus explains this in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” The voice is Jesus, calling. So in short, this weekend, be reminded. Listen to Jesus and listen to your mother.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your creation, especially Your design for the family. The gift that You give to us in mothers.

We pray for all those on this Mother’s Day who are feeling tired and weary and perhaps unheard, that You would just give them the encouragement to continue steadfast and faithful in their role as moms. That You would help children to respect and love and cherish the gift that You give to them in mom and their dad. We pray that You would be with all those who don’t have a mom.

If that mother has been lost to death or some other situation, Lord, we pray that You would comfort them on this day. For all the moms who have gone ahead and who are celebrating eternal life with You, we again give You great thanks as we look forward to the day when one day we will be reunited with them and all those who have gone in faith before.

So, thank You for this weekend and we pray that You would bless us now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.