By the second and third books of the Bible we’re already hearing God’s thoughts about mothers. Mothers are to be honored and revered.
“Honor your father and your mother,” Exodus 20:12
and
“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father.” Leviticus 19:3
Yes, God is speaking about fathers too. But He doesn’t leave mothers out. He is careful to include them, and to include them in the same sentence with fathers. Not to show one as more important than the other, but as equally deserving of honor and reverence.
God also makes so many promises to moms.
He will always be with you.
Joshua 1:9 “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go”
He will lead you.
Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
He will provide.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
He will work in the hearts of your children.
Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am Yahweh. They will be My people and I will be their God because they will return to Me with all their heart.”
He hears you.
1 John 5:15 “And we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him”
And He wants us to remember that we are created in His image.
Moms showcase the goodness and unconditional love of God. Moms represent the softer, more nurturing side of God. Often it is the unconditional love from a mother that gives children their first glimpse of what the character of God is like
“How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people just as the hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” (Luke 13:34) Jesus said that. It gives such a picture of God as warm, loving, and protective. And when (most) people describe their moms it is often something similar to warm, loving, and protective. Moms reflect the image of God.
And still moms tend to scrutinize their every move, and possibly worse, the moves that other moms make. We judge ourselves and wonder if we are doing things right and if we are good enough, doing enough, etc Even Mary wondered if she was enough. She worried too. But in Luke 1:30 we hear “The Angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid Mary, God is honoring you.” The angel reassured her that it would be ok. She would be enough. In that one statement the angel lets her know that God will keep all His promises – to be with her, to lead her, to provide, to work in the heart of her child/His child, and He lets her know that she is heard. God is trusting her with The Child, the most important child in all of history, so she should trust herself. God has that same trust in us, and we should trust ourselves too.
So on the difficult days, mamas remember that God sees you and says that you are to be honored and revered. Remember all His promises – to be with you and your children, to lead you, to provide for you and your family, and to work in the hearts of your children. Remember that He hears you. That He created you in His image. That you are enough. And it will be okay.
