The Church and Mothers
- JCGR
- Mar 18, 2022
- 3 min read
Truth be told, healthy relationships take work and are needed to help us healthily see the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Gospel narrative expounds on the ramifications of God's deliverance and the transformed life in light of the people that know us best. Family and parents are among those that know us best and stand to see the work of the Holy Spirit in a personal and direct way.
Mothers are the first relationship of importance that informs us of the love and nurture that resembles the tender mercies of God tangibly. While in a perfect world, relationships with our parents would be ideal. However, this world is so far less than perfect, and we see those relationships impacted by the presence of temptation and sin.
Mothers are unique and have an intentional call and ministry because they complement dads' presence in the home. Where the dads express certain qualities about masculinity, mothers express tenderness and strength combined. Moms are the other half of the divine picture of discipline, love, strength, and tender mercies.
How do moms stand to make an eternal impact in the discipleship journey? How do moms make the Church better?
God designed motherhood to be compatible with Fatherhood. "The book of Proverbs (1:18; 31:1) indicates that even in ancient times mothers shared with fathers the responsibility for instructing and disciplining children. Mothers have the same right to obedience and respect from children as fathers (Exod. 20:12; Lev. 19:3)." [1] Contrary to widely held misconceptions, the Bible does not denigrate women but highlights their role in society equally crucial to that of men. Do the roles differ? Yes. Is there similar value to both men and women in God's eyes? Yes. Unfortunately, sinful humanity does not begin to appreciate God's design for its ongoing flaws.
Mothers provide the proper setting for discipleship at home. Motherly virtues are often extolled: compassion for children (Isa. 49:15), comfort of children (Isa. 66:13), and sorrow for children (Jer. 31:15, quoted in Matt. 2:18)." [2] Whether we are raised by the woman who bore us or by one who loved us as her own, she sets the proper stage for the Gospel to ring in every home space when a mother expresses love. One of the greatest displays of love a mother can give her children is impart Biblical discipline when they do wrong and encouragement and praise when they do right. The virtue of motherhood is that we see God for how He cares for each of us through it. What a wonderful picture - that the love of a mother exudes the love of God.
Mothers are instrumental in influencing and molding children from an early age. "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." [3] So the apostle Paul writes to the pastor of Ephesus and encourages him to keep the faith entrusted to him, not by anyone else, but first by his grandmother and then by his mother. The Church in Ephesus received ministry that was instrumental by the actions and faithful witness of two women from two distinct generations. They taught the young man that would become the Pastor for the Church in one of the largest cities of the ancient world.
Deuteronomy 6:7, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (ESV). As much as it is for those in the Church today, a component of everyday life for the Hebrew people is the ever-present need for a community. A community that begins at home, under the watchful and loving care of the parents, of which mothers are intricately important.
Moms, your faith matters because it will impact your children. Your witness to the person of Jesus Christ matters because it leaves a legacy with eternal amplitude. Your ministry as a wife and mother showcases the kind of love that God exemplified through the cross of Calvary.
Will you live up to your calling and ministry as a mother?
[1]Logos Factbook, "Motherhood," 2022. [2] Brooks, J. A. (2003). Mother. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1155). Holman Bible Publishers. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (2 Ti 1:5). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
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