5 Ways to Honor Your Mother

“Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise – so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”   – Ephesians 6:2-3

Since “honor” is not a word that we use very often anymore, a definition is in order.

Honor means:  to regard with great respect.

Indeed, according to this definition, our mothers deserve to be honored.  But how do we do that?

Here are 5 ways.  

Honor Your Mother

Before we get to these, I want to address those of you whose mothers are no longer with you.

As we go through life we quickly learn that it is fragile and does not last forever.  Loved ones are here one minute and gone the next.  It is a painful reality this side of heaven.

However, it does not mean that these 5 ways of honoring your mother are not applicable to you still today.

If your mother has passed, consider how you may still apply these ideas this Mother’s Day (or any day).  It may be through a letter or just in your thoughts, but hopefully, you will find ways to keep her memory and legacy alive and remember fondly who your mother was and will always be to you.  You can (and should) still honor your mother.

With that in mind, here are 5 ways to honor her.

1.  Say Thank You.

A genuine “Thank you” means so much.  It is little things like this that demonstrate so much to a mother who has given everything to make your life better.  Your mom still needs to hear those magical words.  So tell her Thank You and let her know how much she means to you.  Create a list, write a note, or just call her up at random times and say it to her.  It will make her day every time you do!

2. Remember her sacrifices.

When we honor our mother, we are consciously remembering her sacrifices and learning to be grateful for all that she has done.  As you think about your mother, consider the different stages of life that you spent with her (including now, if you’re fortunate enough to do so).  What sacrifices did she make?  What do you remember in each stage of life?  In what ways can you remember and show her your appreciation?

3. Give her grace.

My wife recently spoke to a group of women about “Mom guilt”.  As a man, I hadn’t heard of this concept before.  It was interesting to hear her speak about it and to hear that so many women struggle with it.  It was a good reminder to me that mothers are hard on themselves.  They aim for perfection and feel guilty when they can’t live up to that lofty and unrealistic expectation.  As you honor and show respect to your mother, be sure to give her grace.  Know that she did the best that she could and let her know that you love her for who she is and all she’s done. Forgive her for her failures and recognize that none of us (you included) has done it perfectly.

4. Praise her publicly.

Do you remember what would happen in school when someone would bad-mouth someone’s momma? Bad things!  You can disrespect anyone else.  But you better not say something bad about a mother!  There is something powerful about the words we use and the public use of them, in particular.  So be careful about how you talk about your mom to others.  No matter what, choose to respect her and honor her.  If that means saying nothing at all, then do that as a gift of honor. But if you choose to speak, be sure that what comes out of your mouth is honoring, respectful, and lifts her up in front of others.  Remember what she taught you:  If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all!

5. Tell her that you love her.

Yes – you should say the words.  But telling your mother that you love her can be said in many different ways.  What speaks her love language?  Flowers?  Cards?  Quality Time?  Food?  Be creative in your ways of saying those magical words and combine it with the power of the spoken words:  I love you!  These three words can never be said or expressed enough.

Question: What are some ways we can better honor our mothers? You can leave a comment by clicking here.