Mothers and the messes they make
I must make a statement up front. If
you’re a perfect mother, then you don’t need to read this article.
However, if you’ve made a few boo boos along the way, then read on, my
friend.
Long before we began to celebrate
Mother’s Day, women raising children were honoured in the Bible, not
because of their perfection, but because of God’s greater plan for their
efforts.
On this Mother’s Day, let’s glean
from five ‘Bible Moms’. I love how God can take our trials and messes
and use them for a higher calling. Let’s take a stroll down ‘Mommy Lane’
and learn from them.
Mom #1
– Eve
Many of us know Eve as the women who flubbed up BIG TIME. She had a
marriage made in paradise. Just think… an adoring husband and a God who
walks with her in the garden.
But she made a wrong turn – fell to temptation – ate the forbidden
fruit – and contaminated the rest of the human race to the problem
called sin. Yet, what does the Bible say about Eve in Genesis 3:20 –
Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the
living.
What made Eve memorable in God’s eyes? It was her motherhood. What’s
the lesson learned for mothers? Whether we’ve made big mistakes or
little mistakes, God sees the value of our motherhood roles.
Mom #2
– Sarah
This woman was gorgeous, pursued by the Pharaoh of Egypt to be in his
harem.
She was the package deal: stunning, adventurous, rich. She had it all
– except one thing. Isn’t that the way it is with us?
We have a million blessings, but there’s ‘something’ we want
desperately and don’t have it.
Her ‘something’ was children. God gave her a miracle promise – she
would bear a son. Now I don’t know about you, but I have never seen a
woman in a nursing home become pregnant, but when Abraham was almost 100
years old, Sarah had a baby.
Funny how they named their child Isaac, meaning laughter. What’s the
lesson learned for mothers? It pleases God to prove his power, and noing
is too difficult for m.
Mom #3
– The Quartet – Four women of Jacob: Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah, and Rachel
You might think that your household is insane, but it likely doesn’t
hold a candle to the drama under this roof. Jacob loved Rachel and
thought he was marrying her. But he was tricked and ended up marrying
Leah, Rachel’s older sister. He eventually married both of them. Can you
imagine the competitive electricity in that situation? To make it worse,
the sisters insisted that their maids have children by Jacob. It was an
infestation of jealousy, insult, slavery - the greatest disorder
imaginable. Yet, these four women bore twelve sons and a daughter. Their
lineage became one of the greatest nations and one of the few ancient
people to survive to modern times. What’s the lesson learned for
mothers? God can use our messes to establish an unbelievable legacy.
Mom #4
– Rahab
I adore this story. It lets all of us moms know that it’s not the
model mom that God honours, but the less than ordinary woman. Such was
the case of the community harlot – Rahab. She was not a Jew, but she
chose to believe in Jehovah God. He honoured her commitment. Friend, we
never know how God will use our obedience. Nor can we see how our
influence will affect others after we’re gone. We think “now.” God
thinks ‘ater.” So what “later” did God have in mind for Rahab, the
prostitute? Her great great grandson was David, King of Israel – leading
to her most famous descendent – Jesus of Nazareth. What’s the lesson for
mothers? God uses underdog moms to raise up powerful generations.
Mom #5
– Mrs. Zebedee
Remember her? She was left with a bad reputation in the Bible. She
approached the Messiah, “Jesus, would your grant that one of these sons
of mine would sit at your right and the other at your left in your
kingdom” (Matthew 20:21).
In other words, “Would you have favour on my children over everyone
else’s?” Sounds kind of selfish, doesn’t it? But actually, I’m not so
sure that if I saw Jesus that I wouldn’t ask the same thing for Jason
and Sara.
“Lord, these are my kids, and I want them as CLOSE TO YOU as
possible.” What’s the lesson for mothers? God understands a mother’s
love and sees the motive of her heart. Moms, on this Mother’s Day, I
join you in the motherhood profession. As seen in our ‘Bible Mom’
stories, it’s not easy being a mother. But God never promised a stroll
down easy lane, but he did promise his never-ending presence in our
journey.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Pam Kanaly is the
popular author of The Single Mom and Her Rollercoaster Emotions and one
of America’s leading advocates for single mothers. She is the Co-founder
of Arise Ministries and this article was originally published on
Crosswalk |