A Mother Worthy Of Praise
To most folks their mother is special. This is likely why a day has been set aside yearly in our country to honor and remember them. This is no surprise as the mother is the one who carries the baby in the womb, ushers it into the world, and in many cases, she is the one who nourishes the infant until it can feed itself. It is also the mother (when things are done as God set them up) who takes care of the child, kisses the “boo-boos”, and directs the child through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Additionally, in many situations “Mom” is always there when there are problems.
For all these things, mothers should be loved, honored, and appreciated in many ways. The mother is often the “rock” of the family, and the “glue” which holds the family together. Many families become unsettled and fractured when there is not a mother in the picture. Sadly, there are times when the mother must carry the whole burden of the family, and there are many who have done so with amazing results. Great effort is required to do all this.
There have been many “mothers of note” in the annals of time. Of course, there was the first mother, Eve. We are told in Gen. 3:20 why Eve holds a special place in the history of mankind. And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Then in Genesis 4:1-2 we see that Eve indeed bore children. From that time forward, women have been bearing children and fulfilling part of God’s purpose for them. The next who was called a mother was Sarai (Sarah), Abraham’s wife. She too was blessed in Gen. 17:16. Although she only bore one child (the child of promise) she was to be “a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.”
Of course, we could also mention Rebekah, the wife of Isaac; Rachael, the wife of Jacob; Jochabed, the mother of Moses. Then there is Naomi, whose husband and both sons died in Moab, but returned to her people from Moab with Ruth who was in the bloodline of the Christ, as well as many others. We could continue a search through the whole of God’s Word and identify a plethora of note-worthy women who bore children, some of whom were people of renown. Hopefully, all these women were loved, and their efforts appreciated by their offspring.
However, the mother who is worthy of praise in every dispensation of time is not only she who bears children, nourishes them, watches over them, and provides for their physical needs, but looks out for their spiritual needs as well. One such mother was Hannah who had been barren and prayed to God for a child. In her prayer, she promised if God would grant her motherhood, she would give her child to the Lord. Surely this is a mother worthy of praise. Her prayer was answered, and as she promised, her first-born was “lent” to the Lord per 1Sam. 1:28. This child was Samuel, a great prophet and servant of God. She left her son with Eli to be taught to “minister” before the Lord. Hanna was also blessed in that she bore three more sons and two additional daughters.
Of course, any conversation about mothers worthy of praise is incomplete without the mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We are told in Luke 1:30 that Mary “found favor with God.” What greater honor could a woman ever have than to be chosen to bring God’s Son into the world. The announcement by the angel perplexed Mary as we see in Luke 1:34. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? But the explanation provided in Luke 1:35 clears this up for us all. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. After Jesus was grown and had begun His earthly ministry, we find in John 2:5, His mother provided some sage advice. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. This is advice we all should heed.
As we move into the New Testament, we must note the grandmother and the mother of Timothy. In 2Tim. 1:5 we are told a remarkable attribute of the young evangelist was his deep-seated faith which was instilled by Eunice with help from her mother Lois. Why were these mothers worthy of praise? Because they used what God had supplied to help him develop that faith. In 2Tim. 3:15 we find what they used. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. They only had the Old Testament Scriptures at that point. They heeded Prov. 22:6 and when Timothy was able to make his own choices, he chose well. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
I suppose almost every mother deserves love, appreciation, and some of them warrant honor. However, the mother that brings up her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord are to be praised. Be warned, not every child that is taught the truth at a tender age will result in a diligent and faithful servant for the cause of Christ. But if they are not taught properly from the Word of God, they are far less likely to become a Christian, and far less likely to raise their own children the right way.
If you are a mother, you are appreciated, and we honor you. But if you brought them up in the Word, you are a mother worthy of praise.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
