Mother’s Day Message

Mother! The word mother conjures a myriad of emotions and thoughts. Some people have memories of a loving mother that is no longer with them. Others, unfortunately, remember visions they would rather forget. Then we have those, the newlyweds who are ready to embrace children and earn the rights of motherhood. Being a mother has always been a coveted role. Mother was found 320 times in the Kings James version of the bible showing some of the issues that they faced in the times of the bible. We must agree that for centuries women have suffered ridicule because they are childless. Sarah, Rachael, and Hannah were taunted because their counterparts had children and they didn’t. Hannah’s story is one of the moving stories that demonstrated the significance that was placed on having a child. 1 Samuel Chapter 1 recorded the story. Even the devoted attention and love from her husband was unable to fill the void that only a child could fill.  The length she when through to become a mother may seem extreme because she made a pledge to God and he opened her womb. But today thousands of women face the same problem. According to Fertility Answers.com, “approximately one in eight couples are affected by infertility in the United States. That’s about 6.7 million people each year who have trouble conceiving.” Well in the case of Hannah, God did open her womb, and she gave birth to Samuel (who became a great prophet), and she became a mother several times over.

Motherhood is a life of sacrifice and should not be taken lightly. There are no manuals that are given at the birth of a child that equips a woman for the role because every child is different and require personalized care and consideration. The emotional bond of motherhood has caused mothers to become involved in some of the most challenging issues that are recorded in the Bible, and many modern women will testify of the difficulty they endured for the sake of their children. Some of those challenges the Bible recorded seemed impossible. But through faith, they were resolved through God’s intervention and provision. For example, the Shunammite woman was barren, and she was given a son because of her gracious hospitality to the prophet. But as the story unfolds, we realize that she needed great faith to keep her son from death. A mother goes to extremes when it comes to their children. As a matter of fact, in the same chapter 4 of 2 Kings, there was another mother who was desperate for help to keep her sons from being enslaved and the man of God gave a solution that allowed them to pay off their debts, thus the crisis was averted.

However, we must also realize not every person who has earned the title of mother gets it because they gave birth. They may not have given birth to a child but has nurtured several. One modern-day mother of renown is Mother Teresa. She has never given birth, but she cared for and nurtured hundreds maybe thousands of children. The stereotypical characteristics that are attached to the role Mother have given several women the feeling of being ostracized on Mother’s Day. God has given maternal instincts people, whether they gave birth or adopted or they just are in the right place to help a child experience love and hope. These unique caring women deserve to be given mother’s Day tributes as well.

So let us identify one such woman and help her feel appreciated on Mother’s Day.