This blog was first published on the Australian Christian Lobby website.
This Sunday we celebrate mothers. Through Word and deed, God made it very clear that He places enormous importance on the role of motherhood. The Saviour of the world could have come to earth as a fully-grown man. God didn’t need to enter our world through the womb of a woman, but He chose that path. This monumental act means that Jesus shares with every one of us the very human experience of being born of a woman. He identifies with us as a child, He understands the pressures that mothers experience, and He cares.
Motherhood is a wonderful miracle. But it isn’t easy. Whether it is a feeling of exhaustion from little ones who might not be sleeping well, or who are demanding constant attention, or the stress that comes with mothering teens, being a mother, a parent, is a constant calling to put others needs before your own.
If you’re a mum, whatever stage you are going through – the highs and the lows – God knows and cares.
The pathway of motherhood was not easy for Jesus’ mum, Mary. With her firstborn son she didn’t have to deal with the usual naughtiness that other mums experience. She is the only mother in history to have had a perfect child. What an incredible blessing, and how amazing to be chosen to mother the Son of God. But there were other deep experiences that she shared with other mothers. At the very time that a woman longs for support, Mary’s surprise pregnancy and birth would not have endeared her to some family or neighbours. Then, as she raised the Son of God, the Messiah, I can only imagine the amplified personal pressure she must have experienced, that every mother feels – to ‘get the parenting gig right’! Family relationships for Mary were not always easy either. We know that Jesus’ siblings were not completely receptive or on board with His divine nature (John 7:5). Mary could very well have been caught in the middle of family tensions, along with ongoing gossip and rumours from her community. As Jesus grew older, I wonder, did Mary notice stares and whispers as people speculated over Jesus’ claims. And then, surely, her mother’s heart would have been torn apart as she witnessed her firstborn son’s cruel, unfair death.
Mums reading this, I wonder if you identify with any of the emotions that we can imagine Mary would have experienced? Your children are far from perfect! But God chose you to be their mother, and in that way, you are the perfect mother for them. We will all make mistakes and fall short, but our job is to keep on pressing on, teaching and loving our kids with every last bit of energy in us. This is why we need the love of Jesus. The hugs you give them as children, the Bible stories you read them, and the prayers you pray over them will never leave them. Nothing of Jesus’ love that we instil into our children will ever be lost. Motherhood is an everlasting ministry.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mums. May God continue to give you daily amounts of wisdom, strength, perseverance, peace and abundant joy. What you do really does make a difference!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of motherhood. On this Mother’s Day we pause to celebrate the loving sacrifice of mothers, both biological and spiritual, who nurture and guide us in the paths of righteousness. Bless them Lord we pray, with joy, strength and love.
“Honor her for all that her hands have done”.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”