“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” – The Fifth Commandment, Exodus 20:12
Mom is the first person in our lives. Our relationship with her is natural and completely free; she births us, feeds us, raises us and somewhere in between we have our ups and downs in our relationship. Sometimes she drives us crazy, and sometimes we are overwhelmed by her undying love.
So, how can you best honor your mother?
We’d like to propose that the best way to honor your mother is to honor what she has taught you throughout your life. What does she do for you that tells you something about her values as a mother? For example, a mother that feeds the whole family every night with a smile may do so because she enjoys cooking. But if we look a little deeper at what her actions say, rather than what they look like, her action of cooking more likely expresses her enjoyment of seeing the family enjoy food together and grow to be strong and healthy. Try this: pick up the phone and call or text her saying, “Mom, I appreciate you for being so committed to me and to the family.”
The Divine Principle teaches that everything is created for a purpose, and everything’s purpose is to fulfill what it was designed for. In the case of children, mothers raise their children to act and think in accordance with what she values as righteous and true. We are the design of our mothers, and our purpose as children is to be everything we were made for. Even God has a better half that we call the “femininity of God”, which created the world and all its beauty. God has manifested that feminine design through our mothers.
4 Conversations to Have With Mom That Say “I Honor You”
1. Think of one thing that mom does constantly for you. Then acknowledge her for being so consistent with it.
2. Share authentically how your week went and what you experienced. She’ll be thrilled to hear about it!
3. Ask mom “What can I do for you?” Leave it as an open-ended question.
4. Ask mom, “What was it like to raise me?” Allow her to recollect on her early years as a mother.
In honor of True Mother, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, we’d like to invite you to spend this spring with True Mother: http://familyfed.org/springwithtrueparents/
