I was trying to find an easy route to write about motherhood this morning, to honour the women of the Church, but there is no easy way to deal with motherhood. There is no section we can turn to in the Bible where we can say, "Aha, there are the instructions." There is no great instructional book "Motherhood For Dummies" because like everything else in the Christian walk, motherhood is a growing process. It is filled with victories and defeats, moments of brilliance and stupidity, great insights and clouded vision. In it all we can all agree that it is something precious and wonderful, filled with rewards and sacrifices.
Like everything else in our Christian walk, the greatness of our actions will depend on the intimacy of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The closer we are too him the more like him we will be and the one thing a mother needs in her service as a mom is the heart and wisdom of Jesus Christ. There are no short cuts here. There are no easy fixes. There is no shirking the responsibility or pointing the finger at someone else. Mother's must go all the way, right to the end, trusting God's forgiveness for their mistakes and giving him honour for their victories.
From the moment of conception a mom becomes a self-sacrificing, servant-hearted warrior. No longer able to do what she wants to do, eat what she wants to eat, go where she wants to go. She sacrifices here body, energy and time to bring that life into the world and just when she thinks the worse part is over, the real work begins.She becomes a slave to that little bundle of pooping, crying flesh, ready to run at his every beck and call. Every mom soon learns what it is to become a servant and what the Word means when we are told that the strong should bear with the weak. Mom's should be the greatest mentors in the Church, having learned what it is to have patience with those who have not yet learned how to walk.
As the children grow the mom must become even closer, more dependent on Jesus because if she tries to raise them according to the world it is going to get all messed up. Now she is in the training years, teaching right from wrong and why. Again she needs divine inspiration and specially anointed wisdom as she guides her children through the rough waters of childhood. She must teach them to share, to respect, to honour, to obey, to love, to be kind and they don't always learn it the first time. Some times they don't learn it for years but because of her persistence and patience the seeds get in there and roots begin to grow. She must approach it as God approaches us, with much love and truckloads of forgiveness.
That forgiveness must become a dominate character as she enters into the teen years with them. Sometimes these are smooth years, depending on the character of the child. But adolescents is all about growing into adulthood and sometimes that means testing limits. A mom needs special equipping for these years and may have to learn what God himself has had to face, rebellion and rejection. What does a mom do when the ones she has sacrificed her life for kick against her and show no appreciation? She grows in patience, love, forgiveness and her resolve for training becomes as strong as iron. What seems impossible is possible because every day she is refreshing herself in the Lord, in his promises, in worship and she constantly petitions, like Job, for her children.
There is no such thing as a perfect mom but all moms are beautiful. Personally I think women are the crowning glory of God's creation and mother's are the jewels in that crown. There is no one word that can sum them up and no paragraph or even book that can give justice to what they do. The are warriors, equipped by God to teach and train the children in his ways. At the beginning of their journey we find them excited, scared, determined and confused. In the midst of the journey we find them filled with spiritual muscles, bruised, cut, bleeding, but with the glint of determination in their eyes. Near the end, for those who stuck with God all the way, we discover a mighty warrior, filled with wisdom, love, patience and so much more, as God has perfected them through their journey. They are a wonder to behold, a beautiful creature, the most precious member of every family.
This is our salute to all you mother's who have given so much for the happiness of those you love. One day is not enough to honour all that you are in the Lord. May you know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord today. May you hear the voice of our Lord as he blesses you with "Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter in and enjoy my rest."
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