Should You Celebrate Mothers' Day?

This week global Heath advocate, Christy Turlington Burns, is asking us to forego our usual celebration of Mothers' Day and fix our attention, and spend your money, elsewhere. This seems pretty brazen. I have learned over time that you don't mess with Mother's Day. The goal here is not to disrespect mothers, but to assist all those would be mothers around the world that are still dying in childbirth. A noble cause, but do we have to choose? I believe we can both honor mothers and help save the lives of women during childbirth. In addition, I think we always lose when we neglect the person next to us and focus exclusively on the person far away.

Social justice has taken an unhealthy turn in America, and Christians have participated in it to a degree. We tend to emphasis the importance of those far away while living a protected, insulated life at home. Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Who is our neighbor? Those we come into contact with. Those within eyesight or earshot. The people around us who need the kind of assistance that would inconvenience our lives.

Justice loses a great deal of its meaning if it's not personal. Acts of justice shape our own lives by forcing us to invest time, sacrifice by creating new priorities, and demonstrating that people are valuable enough for us to miss American Idol or reschedule activities. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes three religious and distinguished people who ignore someone in desperate need because they won't change their schedule, risk involvement, or sacrifice their time. They are important people with important things to do. Other people were not their priority.

We don't need to choose between the needs of those who are close and those who are far away. We should be involved in both. You can't do everything, but you can focus and do something. We may not feel like it at times, but we are rich. Most of us don't work the twelve hour days our ancestors did. We have time and energy that can be spent on a few around us. The personal touch, the attention and time we spend (and it does cost) humanize the world and help to expand the power and the influence of the kingdom of God.

What does it say about our values when we send relief aid to the other side of the world, but our elderly go unvisited and forgotten in nursing homes. We argue over health care reform, but it is a heartless debate if we don't respond to Jesus' call to lay down our lives for each other.

Please send money to help save new mothers from death during childbirth. It really doesn't take much to save a life. What a great way to celebrate Mothers' Day, but keep it human and touch the life of a mother close to you. We don't spread honor by ignoring those close at hand for the sake of those far away. We can honor both. Keep justice personal.