Mothers

(1 Thessalonians 2:7 NKJV) But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

(2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV) when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Since this Sunday is Mother’s Day, I would like to honor the mothers that I know that have fulfilled both the physical and spiritual roles of mothers.  While there are some women who would like to be mothers and for one reason or another they were not given that privilege, many of these women need to be recognized for functioning as mothers when the need arose.  Some children are orphans and some are born into dysfunctional families where the children were abused.  Women who came alongside some of these children and became the mother role model for them are to be commended.  And then of course, mothers who have considered their children as gifts from God, and who took their mothering responsibilities seriously, are to be honored for what they do everyday–not just on mother’s day.

What is a Mother?

She produces and raises children.  Our society is populated by people who have mothers.  As a matter of fact everyone in this world at the present time has a mother (as well as a father).  Some of those mothers are good and some are not. 

The Mother of All Living

Eve was considered the mother of all living in Genesis 3:20.   “Mother of all battles” is an Arabic phrase that Iraqi officials used to refer to the Persian Gulf War of 1990–1991. Saddam Hussein claimed the fight for Kuwait would be the “mother of all battles” and the phrase became widely known in the media. I assured the people to whom I was preaching at the time that the mother of all battles was yet future and would be in the valley of Armageddon.  I don’t know if Eve would have been a good mother or not.  I certainly wish she hadn’t had a hankering for fruit when she was tempted by Satan in the garden to eat what was forbidden.  I also wish she had taken her husband’s word for the fact that bad things would happen if they ate the forbidden fruit.  Whether her children would have called her “blessed” I don’t know but she certainly is not a good role model for young mothers.

Mary the Mother of the Lord

I notice that when the wise men came from the East to worship the young Child who was with Mary His mother, they fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11).  They did not worship Mary, they worshiped the Lord Jesus.  

However, even though she should not be worshiped,  Mary was an example of what a mother ought to be.  She was concerned when she thought she had lost him at 12 years old.  She was concerned when he was fighting crowds.  She experienced the sword that Simeon had said would pierce her heart when the Lord was on the cross. I believe she cherished her first born son and took her responsibilities to Him seriously.  

Bad Mothers

If you want to read about a mother who seemed to have lost her moral compass, read about Athaliah. In 2 Kings 11:1 we read, “When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs.”  Be glad if you have a mother or grandmother that loves you, because some women do not bond to their offspring.

Good Mothers

Hannah, who was the mother of Samuel, is an example of a good mother.  She was barren and prayed for a child that she could dedicate to the Lord.  She said, “For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him (1 Samuel 1:27 NKJV).”  Her prayer and her child changed the course of the history of Israel.  He was the last judge in Israel and he anointed the first two kings of Israel.  

The Lord functioning as a Mother

Luke 13:34 NKJV — “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

The Lord uses the picture of a mother hen who tries to protect her young as an example of His desire to protect the nation of Israel.  But the nation and its leaders were not willing.  And ultimately they tried to destroy the One person who wanted to save them.  

Lois and Eunice mentioned above took their responsibilities to Timothy seriously and he became a key player in the history of the early church.  He was to Paul what Joshua was to Moses.  And that is probably the relationship that elders and deacons should have.

I notice that Paul uses the picture of a nursing mother to describe his care for the new Christians at Thessalonica.  He did not use the picture of a father disciplining his children but he used the picture of a mother nursing her children. 

We need Mothers

We need mothers like Hannah, Lois, and Eunice who excelled in loving their children and raising them in such a way that they would ultimately love and respect the Lord and be useful to Him.  We need elders and preachers who have the same care for their “flocks” that Paul had for the Thessalonians.  Be thankful if you are among those who have been blessed with a godly mother and with elders that act like nursing mothers in caring for the flock for which they are responsible.  

Bruce Collins

Meditation for the week of May 12, 2024