Today is Mothers' Day, a special day first set aside by an American Presidential decree in 1914 to pay homage to all mothers. This accords well with the fifth commandment, “honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Ex 20:12).
The original Hebrew word for mother is “ame” which means bond of the family. The word signifies a force that strengthens and holds things together. In short, a mother is the glue that holds a family together.
Pastor Claude Owens defines a mother as “that female that gives birth to, cares for, loves, and teaches good moral concepts to a child. She also sets aside her own desires for the benefit of that child.” Hence those women who, after giving birth, immediately push the child to the side as something that gets in the way of their progress up the corporate ladder or doing their own thing, would not live up to his definition of a mother.
True mothers on the other hand are women who give birth to a child and provide a home, food, lots of love and a good Biblical example. They are there for the child in times of sickness and loneliness, trouble at school or with friends, and also during good times. They laugh with their children and cry with them as they bond the family together.
The Bible is replete with examples of mothers and the great deeds God did through them. Let us start at the very beginning with Eve whose Hebrew name Chavvah means “life giver.” Eve, after she and Adam were driven from Eden, bore Cain and Abel and had to suffer the agony of having one son murder the other. She later bore other sons who became great nations. We always remember Eve as the one who first gave in to Satan’s temptations, but perhaps she should also be honoured as the mother of the human race.
The woman Jochebed was among the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt. She gave birth to a son at the time when Pharaoh ordered that all male Hebrew children were to be killed upon birth. Jochebed, at the risk of her own life, hid her son and eventually put him afloat on the Nile in a basket. The baby was found by Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted and named him Moses. Jochebed should be honoured for her courage and astuteness in saving the life of her son Moses.
Mary was probably betrothed to Joseph when she was still a teenager. Having conceived a child by the Holy Ghost and not by her lawful husband put her in danger of being stoned to death. Even so, she submitted to the will of the Lord and gave birth to the saviour of the world. She nursed Him, nurtured Him, watched Him grow into manhood, saw the beginnings of His mission and was there at the foot of the cross when He was crucified. Mary is also worthy of our honour.
The Canaanite mother was desperate to heal her daughter of demon possession. She approached Jesus though she was not a Jew. She was at first rebuffed by Jesus who told her, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs”(Mt 15:26). Despite being put down, she refused to give up, remained humble and acknowledged her sinfulness until Jesus, in response to her great faith, healed her daughter. I am sure you would agree that this Canaanite mother is worthy of honour. Are you similarly willing to persevere, to humble yourself and believe that God loves you and will reward your faith?
I hope all of us are convinced that mothers are the silent heroines in our midst and deserve to be so honoured. That is why it is sometimes so sad to hear of mothers being abandoned by their children. Let me share a poem written by an old mother in a nursing home and found amongst her possessions after she died.
What do you see, nurses, what do you see? What are you thinking when you’re looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise, Uncertain of habit and faraway eyes?
I’m a small child of ten with a mother and father, Brothers and sisters who love one another. I’m a bride in my twenties, my heart gives a leap, Remembering the vow that I promised to keep. I’m a woman of 30. My young now grow fast, Bound to each other with ties that should last. Now I am 40. My children have grown and gone. And my man is beside me to see I don’t mourn.
At 50, once more babies play round my knees, Again we know children, my husband and me. I’m an old woman now, and nature is cruel. ’Tis her jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body it crumbles, grace and vigour depart. I’m weak, and there is an ache in my heart. But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells. And now and again my battered heart swells. I remember the joys, I remember the pain, And I am loving and living life over again. I think of the years, all too few, gone too fast. And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see. Not a crabby old woman. Look closer, see me.
To end on a more uplifting note, let us hear an account of how the Lord made mothers.
By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this one?” And the Lord answered and said, “Have you read the specifications sheet? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 moveable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands.”
The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. “Six pairs of hands! No way!” said the Angel. The Lord replied, “Oh, it’s not the hands that are the problem. It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!” “And that’s on the standard model?” the Angel asked. The Lord nodded in agreement, “Yes, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks the children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of the head are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word.”
The Angel tried to stop the Lord. “This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish.” “But I can’t!” the Lord protested, “I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick, feed a family of four on a kilo of chicken and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower.”
The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, “But you have made her so soft, Lord.” “She is soft,” the Lord agreed, “but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”
“Will she be able to think?” asked the Angel. The Lord replied, “Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.”
The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman’s cheek. “Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.” “That’s not a leak.” the Lord objected. “That’s a tear!” “What’s the tear for?” asked the Angel. The Lord said, “The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.”
The Angel was impressed. “You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!” The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, “I’m afraid you are wrong again, my friend. I created the woman, but she created the tear!”
God bless all mothers on this, your special day.