I’d like to say a very deserving “Happy Birthday” to my lovely mom.  On Friday we were able to enjoy a wonderful day of festivities.  Whitney and I ‘surprised’ mom at work with a bouquet of balloons and a Starbucks Frappaccino.  Later that evening we all ventured out to Downtown Norfolk for a celebratory dinner and a time of gift-giving.

I am so thankful for a wonderful mother.  Not only is she responsible for my Armenian good looks but she has been a consistent, godly influence in my life.  As I get older I realize how rare it is to have a mom who devoted her time and energy into raising her children to know and love Jesus.  She has demonstrated herself to be faithful and caring, a woman of prayer and love.  In many American churches the accolades of service and ministry are often directed to the “Christian celebrities” when, in reality, faithful parents (such as mom) deserve the credit.

For many it might be hard to see how the tedious day-to-day activities of motherhood relate closely to the gospel, but the two are intertwine.  A few years ago I sang a song to my mom on Mother’s Day.  A particular verse from that song seems appropriate at this point:

To be a mother and a wife

Is a heavy load to bear

And so you gave your life away

Like the God inside your heart