Every year, Americans set aside the second Sunday in May to celebrate Mother’s Day. For over a century, this holiday has provided children of all ages with the opportunity to lavish love and heartfelt thanks upon the women who birthed, nurtured, and/or raised them. But long before our nation promoted the idea of honoring mothers on a special day, God commanded the sacred act as a lifelong privilege and responsibility.
What Is the Origin and History of Mother’s Day?
On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as a day to celebrate mothers, but his decision was not made on a whim. Decades before the president’s declaration, three women had diligently campaigned for a special day for moms.
In 1870 Julia Ward Howe, a mother, peace-activist, abolitionist, and author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," issued a rallying cry for mothers throughout the world to unite. Devastated by the carnage she had witnessed during the American Civil War, Howe’s “Mother’s Day Proclamation” invited moms to gather peacefully and brainstorm ways to prevent future wars. But Howe’s unification efforts—and her plea to annually celebrate June 2nd as “Mother’s Day for Peace” garnered little support.
A few years earlier, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis had begun her own campaign to mobilize mothers. Although she shared many of Julia Ward Howe’s convictions, her energies were spent closer to home—and for good reason. Of Jarvis’s thirteen children, only four survived the disease and poor sanitary conditions that ran rampant through her Appalachian community. With a desire to help other mothers avoid the tragedies she had faced, Jarvis organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs to improve the condition of their neighborhoods and learn ways to keep their children healthy.
In 1868 Jarvis expanded her work to include those who were deeply divided by the Civil War. Her clubs cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Despite threats of violence, Jarvis organized a national “Mother’s Friendship Day” to promote peace between the Confederate and Union troops. Unfortunately, her initiative was met with contempt.
When Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis died in 1905, her daughter Anna Jarvis vowed to honor her mother’s legacy by establishing a national Mother’s Day. Anna’s approach was different than that of her predecessors. Rather than focusing her efforts on unifying moms to promote any political or humanitarian cause, Anna wanted to create a holiday that would simply honor individual mothers for their sacrifices and care. Her campaign soon gained momentum and finally resulted in the Mother’s Day holiday Americans celebrate today.
Sadly, Anna’s sense of victory was short-lived. Soon after the president signed his Mother’s Day proclamation, greeting card companies, confectioners, and florists so commercialized the holiday that it scarcely resembled the “holy day” Anna originally envisioned. In 1943 Anna filed 33 lawsuits against those she felt were profiteering. She began writing letters, organizing protests, and petitioning to boycott the commercialized version of Mother’s Day. But her crusade failed, and she was dubbed by the media as a “delusional, frail little spinster.”
Staying true to her resolve to never profit from the holiday she founded, Anna lived and died penniless. Near the end of her life, she was admitted to a Sanatorium, which was paid for by the greeting card and florist industries she had reviled. In 1948 Anna Jarvis was laid to rest alongside her beloved mother, never having experienced motherhood for herself. But she will forever be known as the mother of Mother’s Day.
Biblical Ways for Christians to Celebrate Mother’s Day
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).
Although Mother’s Day is not a biblically prescribed holiday, the importance of honoring our mothers is revealed throughout scripture and goes far beyond a greeting-card sentiment or a once-a-year commemoration. Here are three ways Christians can celebrate Mother’s Day using biblical principles as a guide:
1. Use your mom’s love language to inform your gift giving. “Dear children, let us not love with [empty] words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Years ago, Pastor Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages first introduced the idea that people feel most loved when they receive love in their own love language. If you want to honor your mom in a deeply personal way this Mother’s Day, take into account which of the five love languages speaks to her most.
If she’s quick to compliment and encourage others verbally, use Words of Affirmation to bless her. If she’s happiest when she is helping others shorten their to-do lists, Acts of Service could be the perfect gift. If she values spending uninterrupted time with loved ones, she will probably appreciate the gift of Quality Time above all else. Does your mom have a knack for gift-giving? Does she treasure even the smallest tokens of affection? Then plan ahead and give her meaningful Gifts she can hold, use, and keep. Is she a touchy-feely kind of mom? Then express your love and appreciation with tender hugs, a gift card for a massage, a soft robe, or anything else that will speak to her need for Physical Touch.
2. Thoughtfully honor your mom, for who she is and all she does. “Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate” Proverbs 31:31.
Thoughtfulness is key when it comes to honoring those we love. Think about the ways your mom has made you feel special over the years and ask yourself why those gestures touched you. Chances are your answer will reveal that your mom took the time to make you feel seen and heard. This Mother’s Day, thank your mom through gestures of love that let her know you admire her for who she is as an individual, as well as the role she fills in your family. Here are 14 Thoughtful Ways to Celebrate Mom as a Family.
3. Let your mom see your faith in action through your Mother’s Day gift – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).
However you choose to honor your mom on her special day, you can make it a meaningful celebration by letting your faith shine through each token of love. Christian moms invest their whole lives training up their children in God’s ways. No earthly pleasure can ever compare to the priceless joy moms experience when they witness their children standing on Jesus’s firm foundation and walking in truth.
A note of acknowledgment and encouragement: Mother’s Day can be complicated and painful for those grieving loss or those who have experienced hardship in family relationships. If the holiday is challenging for you, please know you are not alone. The same God who knit you together in your mother’s womb is the same God who will never leave nor forsake you. He has already provided everything you need to endure this difficult season. He is the healer of the brokenhearted. The defender of the weak. The embracer of the motherless and fatherless. And nothing can ever separate you from His perfect love. Here are some resources to help you navigate the holiday and find God’s peace and provision:
Moms grieving the loss of their own mothers
How to Heal Your Heart After a Miscarriage This Mother's Day
Choosing to honor imperfect parents
Mother’s Day Prayers
What a privilege and blessing to come before God’s throne of grace and pour our hearts out to Him. Most Christian mothers spend countless hours praying for their children. But these prayers are just for moms:
A prayer for new mothers. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of motherhood. We praise you for this baby’s life and for equipping this new mama with everything she needs to succeed. As You guide her steps and lead her into this glorious calling, please bless her with an unshakable trust in You. Help her fix her eyes upon Jesus, so that her baby’s gaze will inevitably follow. May Your light shine through her as a beacon to other moms who need hope. And may she never forget the wonder of these first waves of love for her baby, nor the beauty of her first love for You. In Jesus’s matchless name I pray, Amen.
A prayer for strength and wisdom. "Lord God, we lift up all mothers to You. Grant them the strength to face the daily challenges with courage and the wisdom to guide their children towards a life of faith and service. Encourage them when they are weary and inspire them when they feel overwhelmed. Bless them with Your peace and love, now and forever. Amen." –12 Beautiful Prayers for Mother's Day, by Aaron D’Anthony Brown
A prayer for refreshment. "Dear Lord, Today, I lift up all the tired moms out there, those who give so much of themselves day and night. Please grant them rest and rejuvenation. Fill their hearts with peace and their bodies with strength. Give them moments of tranquility amid the chaos, and let them feel Your loving presence, reassuring them that they are not alone.” –15 Encouraging Prayers for Moms, by Rachel Dawson
A prayer of blessing. "Bless every mother and every grandmother with the finest of your spiritual blessings today. Confirm in her heart and spirit the work of her hands and the love that she has so freely given to those children under Your care. Validate her worth daily so she has no reason to doubt whether she is loved, valued, and cherished in the eyes of her Heavenly Father.” –excerpt from Rebecca Barlow Jordan’s A Prayer of Blessing for Mothers & Grandmothers
Bible Verses for Mother’s Day
God’s Word is full of life for mothers. Jesus’s mother, Mary, pondered God’s promises and trusted Him to see to completion the good work He had begun in her. Moms today have that same hope. May these Bible verses be a constant reminder that God’s Spirit is alive in you, equipping you for every stage of motherhood.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13, NLT).
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
For more scriptural encouragement for moms, check out these helpful resources:
20 Bible Verses That Honor the Blessing of Mothers
Bible Verses about Mothers: The Biblical Importance of Motherhood
What Does the Bible Have to Say to Mothers?
Mother’s Day Reflections and Devotions
Throughout His earthly ministry, even when He was suffering and dying on the cross, Jesus perfectly fulfilled God’s law, including the command to honor His mother. (John 19:26-27)
This same Jesus gives all Believers the power and desire to do God’s will—and to be who He has called us to be. If you’re trying to work out your calling as a mother or find your significance in motherhood, you need look no further than Jesus. “For it is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for” (Ephesians 1:11, The Message).
More Resources, Prayers, and Bible Verses for Mother's Day:
12 Beautiful Mother's Day Prayers
30 Uplifting Mother's Day Quotes and Messages to Honor All the Moms in Our Lives
Christian Mother's Day Gifts to Share Your Love and God's Love
Why Do We Celebrate Mother's Day?
Woodrow Wilson Proclaimed Mother's Day
Mother's Day Prayers, Scripture, and Quotes to Honor and Encourage Moms
This Mother's Day, Celebrate the Infinite Joys and Blessings of Being a Mom
15 Encouraging Prayers for Moms
Photo credit: Unsplash/Gabe Pierce
