John K. Jenkins Sr - The Godly Assignment of Motherhood

I want to talk about motherhood for a few moments this morning, and I want to celebrate it. I want to honor it because it is worthy of being honored. I want to celebrate it because it is, again, one of those core components of our society that helps it to be healthy . I want to discuss it in a celebratory way because so many women - and men, for that matter-are viewing motherhood as a burden rather than the Godly assignment that it is. My wife has given birth to six children-somebody say six! Amen! When she had the first child and I made it to the delivery room while she was in pain, I remember we were on our way to the hospital. Our first child was born at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. We were going down Route 50 , and I was driving about 90 to 95 miles an hour. She hit me and told me to go faster . I wasn't going fast enough; she was in great pain. When we got to the delivery room and I saw the pain that my wife went through , it made me thank God that I was born a man. Come on, somebody say Amen! Thank the Lord! Let me take my hat off to y'all again for carrying us for nine months and then giving birth to us. Let me thank the Lord for y'all for that.

Now, I look at my wife, and sometimes she gets discouraged because she bears the marks of having given birth to six children. She feels out of shape , and I want to tell her and salute her by saying don't look down . Those marks are evidence of a woman who has chosen to bring her children into the world. Come on, talk to me for just a second! Not to mention the nights she stayed up with our snotty -nosed kids, the nights she helped them with homework , and the times she cared for them , cried with them , and nurtured them . She has done the tremendous work of being a mother. As a matter of fact, I'm proud of our six kids-six! Amen! Thank you, Jesus! That means I like to do something other than being in church all the time. Somebody say Amen! Come on, talk to me. Do I have any witnesses anywhere in the camp? I'm trying to get out of church as quickly as I possibly can. It doesn 't take God all night to do anything. We can start at 7:30 and might get out by 8:30 if we get everything in order . Who knows what God might have in store for you when you get back home? Come on, talk to me for just a second. I see some of you brothers sitting tight, not saying anything, but I know deep inside , you're saying, "Preach on, Pastor Jenkins!"

When we had our first child , I never knew what they would become . When we had our first daughter, Sarah-my drama child-who told me when she got to college and was staying in a dorm during her first year at the University of Maryland ( she later transferred to Georgia), she chose to go to Maryland instead of Georgetown because at the time, it was the party school. Y 'all don 't have to say anything; that's the truth. I called her room one night when I thought she should be there , and she wasn't. I left her a message , and she called me back. She said, "Dad, you don 't have to worry about me. I'm grown ." Oh, you haven't taken that class yet to teach you what "grown" is! Let me define it for you: you're grown when you can put a roof over your head , food on your table, and clothes on your back. That's when you're grown.

My college-age daughter , Sarah Jenkins-call her by name, Sarah Christina - said, "Well, I got a scholarship to the University of Maryland, so they are putting a roof over my head by my efforts, and they are giving me food . By your definition , I'm grown." I said, "Okay, you've grown now. Fine, you are absolutely right! Your work did get you a roof over your head ; yes, they do feed you. Okay, fine, you're grown now, so bring all my clothes that I've paid for back to my house and drop them off in the room where you're staying . Everything in there is mine . By the way , the car you drive that I put gas in and for which I pay the insurance-bring that back to me too, since you 're grown !"

A few hours later, she called me back and said, "Dad, I have reconsidered. I realize I'm not grown." However, through the investment of my wife in this sometimes rebellious child, we now have a young lady who is a school teacher in Orlando , Florida. Through the effort of my wife pouring into her, my son Joshua-who is 28 while Sarah is 26, somewhere in that neighborhood-makes me realize you lose track when you get old . You can't remember . Some of y'all young ones don't know what that's about, where you have to calculate how old your kids are .