Daily Archives: May 11, 2013

Motherhood

The bravest battle that ever was fought!
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
‘Twas fought by the mothers of men.

Nay not with the cannon of battle-shot,
With a sword or noble pen;
Nay, not with eloquent words or thought
From mouth of wonderful men!

But deep in a walled-up woman’s heart —
Of a woman that would not yield,
But bravely, silently bore her part —
Lo, there is the battlefield!
(–by Joaquin Miller)

What a wonderful blessing from the Divine Plan a loving mother is! God’s book tells us more of His will for Motherhood.

Mothers should be Married. When a woman begins motherhood, it is God’s plan for that woman to be married to the father of the child (Heb. 13:4). God designed the home so that a man and woman leave their father and mother and cleave to one another, beginning a new family (Gen. 2:18-25). Unfortunately, God’s plan for the family has become less popular these days. The birth rate to unwed mothers in our country is at 40.7 % (National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 61, No. 5, October 3, 2012, p. 4). While it is possible for a woman (either because of a scriptural divorce (Matt. 19:9), death of the husband (Rom. 7:1-4) or her husband separating from her) to be a good, loving single mother, it is not God’s idea will and it is not what is best for the child. A child needs a mother and father’s guidance (Prov. 1:8, 4:3, 6:20, etc.).

Mothers Oversee the home. While the man is the head of the house (Eph. 5:23) it is the woman who manages it (Tit. 2:5; Prov. 31:10-31). This is no small task. It is an important work that should not be diminished in any way. Those who claim that the Bible is archaic in it’s treatment of women or that it teaches men to treat women poorly either fail to recognize the importance of the role God has assigned them as mothers or they are simply being rebellious against God. The task of training up a child in the way he should go is neither archaic nor meaningless (Prov. 22:6). It is not easy, either. When mothers and grandmothers turn out young men like Timothy, it is because of their devotion to God, their personal character, and hard work (Acts 16:1; II Tim. 1:5; II Tim. 3:15-17). If mothers would work as hard in rearing up their children as they do in building a career, their children might turn out better and call her blessed (Prov. 31:27,28).

Mothers Teach their children. God placed upon all Israel the obligation of training their children (Deut. 6:1-9). While the father plays a very prominent role (Eph. 6:4), the child has the obligation of honoring father and mother and obeying them both (Eph. 6:1-3). Timothy had learned from a child the truth of the holy scriptures, not from his Gentile father, but from his godly mother and grandmother (II Tim. 1:5; 3:14,15). This training must begin when one is very young and impressionable. Jane McWhorter has this sage advice: “Take your baby to the services of the church regularly from the time he is a few weeks old. Even though he is too young to realize what is going on, he learns that worship is important and is expected of us” (She hath Done What She Could, 1973, p. 73). A good mother teachers the young (Tit. 2:3,4). Someone once said: “The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.”

Mothers are Holy in behavior. Paul told Titus that the aged women are to be in “behavior as becometh holiness” (Tit. 2:3). He instructed Timothy that while men are to lift up “holy hands” women were to “likewise “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (I Tim. 2:9-10). A Holy mother will pray for her children and dedicate them to the Lord, as did Hannah (I Sam. 1,2). A woman has great impact on the reputation of her husband (Prov. 31:23). Many mistakenly think a woman should take on the characteristics of a man to be strong. But the strength of a woman is the force of her character (Prov. 31:17,23-31).

Godly Mothers Eliminate partiality. Partiality in a family is devastating. The Bible says: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours” (Genesis 37:3). This caused a terrible situation in that family such that Joseph was hated by his own brothers (Gen. 37:5). Eventually their hatred led them into selling him into slavery. But Jacob got it honestly because his own father loved Esau better while his mother loved him (Gen. 25:28). If children are the product of a genuine, loving relationship between a man and a woman each child should be understood to be a gift from God and loved equally (Gen. 4:1; Ps. 127:1-3).

Mothers Reprove those who do wrong. It is an unsavory part of being a parent but it is something that must be done. It does not signify a lack of love (though it can if administered in anger, hate or jealousy), but an abundance of it (Prov. Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 23:13,14). A child left to himself brings shame to his mother and therefore needs guidance (Prov. 29:15). When a child is young and impressionable he must be taught, while there is yet time (Prov. 19:18). If the child is taught well from a very early age (preventive disciple), then there will be less need of what is sometimes called “tough love” (corrective discipline) later on. Many mistakenly believe that “discipline” means “punishment”. But the word comes from the Latin “disciplina” and means “instruction given to a disciple.” (discipline. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline (accessed: May 11, 2013)). All loving mothers who want their children to grow up to be successful, productive and happy must be those who discipline their children in love.

Thank God for loving mothers.
Eric L. Padgett