God graciously puts [common] love in the hearts of all mothers. Society is better because of it. But add Christ to that, and you have something far richer. Only a Christian mom can love that child “for Christ’s sake,” and “as unto the Lord.” Only a Christian mom can show her child what it means to be a true believer in Christ. Only a Christian mom can pray effectively for her child. Only a Christian mom can teach her children the truth about Jesus. Only a Christian mom can teach her kids what marriage is all about, even when times are difficult. And only a Christian mom can die as a lover of Christ, contentedly anticipating eternity in the house of her heavenly father.
She Loved It, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Motherhood is not disparaged in biblical teaching; contrary to many in modern society, it is held up as the woman’s highest calling and privilege.
God, Marriage and Family, Crossway, 2004, p. 120. Get this book!
The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies. A true mother is one of the holiest secrets of home happiness. God sends many beautiful things to this world, many noble gifts; but no blessing is richer than that which He bestows in a mother who has learned love’s lessons well, and has realized something of the meaning of her sacred calling.
Secrets of Happy Home Life, 1894.
[Mothers], our daughters will be products of their theology. Their knowledge – or lack of knowledge – of who God is and what He has done for them will show up in every attitude, action, and relationship. Their worldview will be determined by their belief system. We must teach our daughters that their value and identity lie in the fact that they are image-bearers of the God of glory. This will protect them from seeking significance in the inconsequential shallowness of self-fulfillment, personal happiness, materialism, or others’ approval. Our daughters must know the wondrous truth that their overarching purpose in life is God’s glory (Susan Hunt).
Taken from: Biblical Womanhood in the Home by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Crossway, 2002, p. 150.
Few women realize what great service they are doing for mankind and for the kingdom of Christ when they provide a shelter for the family and good mothering – the foundation on which all else is built. A mother builds something far more magnificent than any cathedral – the dwelling place for an immortal soul (both her child’s fleshly tabernacle and his earthly abode). No professional pursuit so uniquely combines the most menial tasks with the most meaningful opportunities. It is hard to locate an aging mother who believes she made a mistake of pouring her life into her children, and it would certainly be more difficult to find a child to testify that his mother loved him and poured herself into his life to his detriment and demise. Homemaking – being a full-time wife and mother – is not a destructive drought of usefulness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary call to contain one’s talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work; it is not a rope for binding one’s productivity in the marketplace, but reins for guiding one’s posterity in the home; it is not oppressive restraint of intellectual prowess for the community, but a release of wise instruction to your own household; it is not the bitter assignment of inferiority to your person, but the bright assurance of the ingenuity of God’s plan for complementarity of the sexes, especially as worked out in God’s plan for marriage; it is neither limitation of gifts available nor stinginess in distributing the benefits of those gifts, but rather the multiplication of a mother’s legacy to the generations to come and the generous bestowal of all God meant a mother to give to those He entrusted to her care (Dorothy Patterson).
Wives are not the only ones instructed to respect their husbands. Children are told to honor their fathers (Ephesians 6:2-3). If you are disrespectful to your husband, your children will likely acquire the same attitude. It will be much more difficult for them to honor their father if you are belittling him and speaking to him in a harsh, sarcastic tone of voice.
The Excellent Wife, Focus Publishing Incorporated, p. 114. Get this book!
All those attributes of God that bring us so much comfort are revealed in the heart of a Christian mother. Even the Bible takes the heart of a mother and then uses it as an example for other biblical relationships. For example, when God wanted to illustrate His tenderness for His people, He said in Isaiah 66, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem” (Isa. 66:13). When Paul spoke of his pastor’s heart for the church he said, “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thes. 2:7). When David considered his hope in the Lord he said, “Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother”(Psm. 131:2).
Instruments of Influence, 2 Timothy 3:14-15, May 11, 2014.
I love all the passages in the Bible that take the heart of a mother and then use it to explain other biblical relationships. For example, when God wanted to illustrate His tenderness for His people, He said in Isaiah 66, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isa. 66:13). When Paul spoke of his pastor’s heart for the church he said, “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thes. 2:7). When David considered his hope in the Lord he said, “Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother” (Psm. 131:2).
Sermon, Instruments of Influence, 2 Timothy 3:14-15, May 11, 2014.
She has a more influential and powerful role than any political, military, religious or educational figure. Her words are never fully forgotten. If you were blessed with a good mother, you will enjoy the advantages for the rest of your days. If your mother neglected you and her responsibilities, unfortunately the impact is almost certainly still felt today. Whether it’s good or whether it’s evil, a mother’s impact is permanent. A child’s mother is arguably the most influential figure in their life, giving credence to the old adage: the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
After years of society belittling the calling of motherhood, something wonderful is happening – something wonderfully counter-cultural! In the midst of the anti-life, anti-motherhood philosophies which pervade the culture, there is a new generation of young ladies emerging whose priorities are not determined by the world’s expectations of them. They have grown up in homes where fathers shepherd them, where children are not merely welcome, but where they are deeply loved. Some of these women have been home educated, which means that many of them have grown up around babies and their mothers. They have learned to see motherhood as a joy and a high calling, because their parents see it that way. And when asked about their future, these girls know their own minds. These are the future mothers of the Church. Young women who are not afraid to say that the goal of all of their education and training is to equip them to pursue the highest calling of womanhood, the office of wife and mother.
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood in America, May 9, 2008, Vision Forum Ministries, Used by Permission.
I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England.
Christian women cannot learn mothering from talk-show hosts, magazine articles at the checkout stand, or classes on self-esteem. A healthy, godly view of mothering must be learned from the Scriptures.
Family Practice, P&R Publishing, 2001, p. 56, Used by Permission.
