I have seen
many different portrayals of mothers on Family sitcoms over the years. I
remember the “perfect” mom played by June Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver. Then there’s Claire Huxtable, the “have-it-all”
mom from the The Cosby Show. Even
today, there’s the everyday mom, Debra Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond.
Television
scriptwriters know that if you want a successful family sitcom, the mom had
better play a prominent role. And we can find the same thing in the Bible.
Mothers
almost always have our best interests at heart. They love us and make untold
sacrifices for us. The love of a mother for a child is about as close to
unconditional love that we humans can achieve. It is also a beautiful
reflection of God’s unconditional love for us.
In Isaiah
66, verse 13, God says, “As a mother
comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”
And in Luke
13:34 Jesus actually likened himself to a mother hen, as he laments Jerusalem’s
rejection of him, “How often I have
longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her
wings, and you were not willing!”
One of the
last things Jesus did before he died on the cross was ask a friend to look
after his mother. “When Jesus saw his
mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her,
‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From
that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:25-27).
In spite of
his own agony, Jesus was concerned for his mother. Let me encourage you to
follow his example.
Mother’s
Day, or something like it is celebrated in many countries around the world.
Here in the USA it is next Sunday, May 12th. It isn’t an official Christian
celebration, but you’d think it was. LifeWay Research conducted a survey of
1000 Protestant pastors and discovered from them that Mother’s Day was the
third most attended church service after Easter and Christmas.
The role of
Mother is one of the greatest gifts God has given to us. Think about how you can
show your appreciation – to God – and to your Mom – on Mother’s Day.
I’m Joseph
Tkach, Speaking of LIFE.