by Pastor John Kim

The role of a mother is easily appreciated on one hand but not considered to be so significant on the other. How does this kind of contradicting treatment come about? It reveals how conflicted we are as a society. When it comes to emotional support, everyone (well almost everyone) instinctively turns to their mothers. From the little child to the NFL linebacker on television, “Mom” is easily the number one choice. But when it comes to understanding the significance of motherhood, society is quick to take away with one hand what it gave with the other. Motherhood is disparaged to be a role that is altogether useless when it comes to self-fulfillment. There are no promotions in motherhood (other than adding another kid?). There are no raises. The macaroni pencil cups and crayon colored cards on Mother’s Day are poor substitutes for plaques and corporate recognition. Who wants to stay stuck at home with a crying baby who throws up and makes a mess of the place when you could have your own corner office and accolades of your peers ringing in your ears instead of the baby monitor? But after the workday is over, when Friday comes, what seems lasting in life? As the years go by, the investment of time and energy going into all kinds of pursuits, how does it add up? As Solomon the Wise said so long ago, “Vanity of vanities!” It’s so easy to think you are doing something “significant” with your life but in the end, you could have wasted your life chasing the wind.

I think motherhood can be appreciated in several ways.

1) Appreciate your own mother. While they might not have been perfect and some might have outright failed their children, God gave you your mother to honor and appreciate. Show the love of Christ to your mother this Mother’s Day.

2) For ladies who are mothers, thank God that He gifted you with motherhood. Don’t take for granted that you were blessed with children. There are many who wish they could be mothers but for one reason or another, God has chosen not to grant children to them. It is not something you can treat lightly. Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord and should be treated as such. While Mother’s Day might seem to be a day where mothers expect to be treated well, use Mother’s Day as an opportunity to thank God that you were given such a stewardship. This stewardship was not meant for you to build trophies for yourself but to invest the love and truth of God into your children so that they might be offered to God. While only God can provide salvation, parents, and mothers in particular play a vital role in planting the seeds and in modeling the character of Christ (i.e. consider the example of Timothy and the investment by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois).

3. For ladies who are not biological mothers, remember that God is always faithful and while you might not have your own biological children, you still have the opportunity to share the love of Christ in the way of a “mother” for many who don’t have a “mother” to care for them. This could start even at the church, as there are many who do not have very close relationships with their own mothers, or possibly have unbelieving mothers who were not able to invest in them spiritually. Prayerfully consider how you might invest your life and give of yourself. You could go as far as even considering adopting a child, whether locally or internationally. But just because you are not a biological mother doesn’t mean that you can’t provide a mothering relationship to others.

4. For the men, never disparage the role of motherhood. We live in a day where the roles of men and women are turned upside down and unfortunately there are those who have denigrated the role of women in both the home and the church and it doesn’t help the ladies when the men don’t do their part to support the ladies in their roles. So please affirm the ladies as they would prayerfully move forward in their lives. Never joke around about “wearing slippers and a bathrobe all day” and that their job is just to have babies. That would be insulting both to them and to God, who is the one who designed women to do what is so special and unique in contributing to society.

5. For the church, let us not just celebrate another Hallmark occasion with a token day given to mothers but let’s appreciate the mothers in our midst and see the hard work and toil that they give as their spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1). Let’s come alongside them and encourage them through our ministries at the church and give them assistance by teaching their children the truth of God and in affirming the things that truly matter in life.

As this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, let’s make the most of it to glorify God.