By now, you’ve probably seen the commercial pitches for Mother’s Day: everything from recordable greeting cards to flowers and spa treatments to thank Mom for all she does for you.

Not that Mom doesn’t deserve your thanks. Of course she does; but the foundress of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, had something a little different in mind when she asked her local Methodist church to set aside a day to recognize and celebrate mothers.

Mother’s Day History
Anna Jarvis wanted a day to thank mothers for their contributions not only to their families but also to their country. Jarvis proposed the second Sunday of May as the date of the celebration in recognition of the anniversary of her own mother’s death, and because of its proximity to Memorial Day. If Memorial Day recognized the wartime sacrifices of men, then Mother’s Day would serve to recognize the wartime sacrifices of the women who send their husbands and sons into harm’s way.

That first Mother’s Day celebration took place in 1907 in Jarvis’s home church in Grafton, West Virginia. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially recognized the holiday.

Mothers of Faith
Anna Jarvis was moved to create Mother’s Day because she was inspired by the lessons her mother taught her: feed the hungry; care for the sick and wounded; teach; seek healing and peace; practice faith.

But Anna’s mother, Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis, was neither the first nor the last mother to inspire her children to live their faith. Mothers have been shaping the history and the practice of faith since ancient times.

Sarah
Sarah was the wife of Abraham and is the first of the Jewish matriarchs. She was a woman of beauty – inside and out, and she was an example of dedication, perseverance, and hope.

God revealed to Abraham and Sarah that he would build a great nation through their descendants making them as countless as the stars in heaven. This became increasingly difficult for Sarah to believe as she reached the age of 90 and she had no children. Still, she practiced her faith. Even as doubt clouded her mind, even as she gave another woman to her husband to give him children, she continued to live the teachings of her faith.

When Sarah was 90, her son Isaac was born. Sarah lived to see God’s promise of a child fulfilled and the hope of God’s chosen people begun.

Rachel
Rachel was the younger, and more favored wife of Jacob in the Old Testament. Although both Rachel and her sister, Leah, are known as the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel, it is Rachel who is seen as the mother of all Jews.

Why? Because Rachel showed humility. Her compassion and concern for others was more important than her own desires.

When Rachel’s father, Laban, decided to trick Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel, Rachel made sure that Leah knew how to make Jacob think she was Rachel on her wedding day. She was more concerned with her sister’s shame and embarrassment than her own happiness.

Again, at the end of her life, Rachel showed compassion. This time for her children’s children’s children. As Rachel lay dying, she asked to be buried at the side of the road exactly where she was rather than taking her rightful place next to Jacob in the family burial grounds. She had seen a vision that told her that her great-great grandchildren would be sent into exile for their sins. They would pass her grave and cry out to her. And she, in turn, would cry out to God for his mercy on her children. And that is exactly what happened.

Naomi
Naomi knew how to endure.

She followed her husband Elimelech when he moved their family to Moab, a pagan nation, in order to escape famine in Judah. She raised her sons Maklon and Chilion in a Jewish home, teaching them the practice and discipline of their faith.

When her sons married two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, she welcomed them as daughters.

When her husband and sons died, she mourned but did not give in to her grief. She made plans to return to Judah which had recovered from the famine. Orpah and Ruth planned to go with her, but Naomi released them from their obligations to her. Orpah returned to her father’s house, but Ruth remained with Naomi.

The two women returned to Judah penniless, but Ruth was so moved by the faith of her mother-in-law and her people that she converted to Judaism and worked to sustain the two women. Naomi saw to it that Ruth met and married a new husband, Boaz, and Naomi took care of their child, Obed. Obed would become the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Mary, Mother of Jesus
As a mother, Mary was a motivator. Why did Jesus begin his public ministry at Cana? Because his mother asked him to. Mary modeled for Jesus his entire life what it meant to be faithful to God -  from accepting the news of her unplanned pregnancy to trusting God’s plan as she watched her only child being executed.

She is often called “the first disciple.”