In the spirit of Mother's Day, I felt compelled to post this. On Father's Day I'll talk about dads:)
"Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her...." Proverbs 31:28
In the study notes of my Bible, it says this (about this kind of woman): "While she receives material reward (v.22), the praise and success she labored to bring to her family and community will be her praise. The result of all her efforts is her best eulogy.
Mothering matters. Awhile ago I attended the funeral of one of my husband's aunts who died of cancer. The service was typical of the type within our large family, until her son got up to speak. No one thought he should do this, and I agreed. Not because it wasn't right, but because it was too soon. Grieve and let the professionals handle it, I thought. The mourners were silent and uncomfortable as he got up and began to speak. He said a few words about how much she meant to him and quickly broke down, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Within seconds, the hundreds of people in the funeral home began weeping too, a mass of sobs and sniffles. I wanted to rescue him. I wanted him to stop, not only because I hadn't seen a man cry like that, but because my throat began to close and I couldn't breathe. His words literally took my breath away. My heart felt like it was being crushed within my chest.
He spoke of her strength and her sacrifice and credited her for his life, his success, his significance. He spoke about the hole her death left in his heart and how worried he'd been until God had comforted him just that morning. He read and sobbed his way through the reading of a children's book and when he was done, I felt like giving him a standing ovation. When it was my turn to offer condolences to him and his sister in the receiving line, I could barely choke out my sentiment, "You honored your mom and said what every mother wants to hear." He and his sister didn't only celebrate her in death though, they celebrated, revered and loved her in life too. They supported her during their teenage years when her husband died, stood by her through her own health battles and devoted themselves to her at the end of life. This matters greatly to God. So much so, that honoring our parents is one of the ten commandments.
At the end of his life, while hanging on the cross, Jesus made provision for his own mother: "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." John 19:25-27
I've been thinking a lot about my own mother lately and the other "mothers" I've had in my life. Do we worship motherhood? No, but we recognize how important family is to God. He calls us His own children and desires that we all be reconciled to Him. It's time we women rise up and embrace the gift that God has given us - the ability to bear children, disciple them and send them out as a witness to God's love and grace. I've also been thinking about my own mothering, or lack thereof. I struggle between the desire to mother, which I feel is placed there by God, and the desire for personal success, which I'm pretty sure is mostly selfishness. I want both, but not at the cost of my children, because at the end of the day, I want a eulogy like that one. Celebrate your mom.
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