Happy Mother’s Day!
Today is a good day to reflect on two mothers who bore sons that were destined to pronounce laws that continue to be a guide-light for millions all over the world. In present day lexicon, we would probably refer to these mothers as Influencers: From the Old Testament/Torah, we have Jochebed, the mother of Moses and from the New Testament, Mary, the mother of Jesus.
We have no details about Jochebed in the Torah , aside from her being a daughter of Levi and the mother of Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Bearing a son at a time that all male babies were to be thrown into the Nile, she courageously defied the law of the land and dared to give her child a chance at life and hope for a future. She hid him at home for 3 months.
Rabbinical literature tells us that she was able to get away with hiding him for that length of time because she had briefly divorced and then re-married her husband, Amram, while already pregnant. The Egyptians counted her period of pregnancy from the beginning of her re-marriage at which time she was three months gone. When she could hide him no longer, she placed him in a basket and prayerfully left him in God’s hands floating on The Nile.
What was going through her mind as she did this? One guess: Total surrender to whatever God would allow to happen to her infant. What was the worst that could happen? She had nurtured him and prevented him from being killed by Egyptian soldiers but now…..he could be eaten by crocodiles….or…what if God could do something miraculous? She prayed, dared to hope against all hope and then released him into his own destiny. She let go….and she trusted the One who blessed her with him in the first place.
Big sister Miriam watched from a hiding place as the floating basket was lovingly intercepted by Pharoah’s daughter and then jumped out to offer to look for a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for the princess. ….and that was how the baby ended up back, full circle, in his mother’s arms; this time legitimately, and backed by the provision of royal power. Won’t He do it?
The fearful thoughts in her head would be similar to what most of us feel when our kids leave home the first time to live unstructured lives, be it in college, or even regions of conflict in service to their countries. We are no longer grizzly bears able to protect our brood. As Christian grizzly bears, we have probably been handing them over to God over the years but that landmark departure can be nerve-wracking. What to do? We hand them over to their destinies in God’s hands and trust that God will move people and resources to care for them as we let go.
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And then there was Mary, the mother of Jesus, the very definition of humility, trust and obedience. Four thoughts come to my mind when I think about Mary.
- What if she had been too afraid and said ‘no’ to Angel Gabriel’s request for her participation in God’s plan for human salvation? After all, she had her life all planned out, engaged to a promising young man and ready to settle down. She did not even ask the angel how things would work out with her fiancé…she just said yes and submitted to God’s will. She trusted He would work everything out.
- Did she not feel entitled, knowing she was the mother of God that she should at least have her baby in decent digs? Why did she have to deliver her child in a stinky shed with animals as witnesses? Did she not feel like informing all those innkeepers that turned her away that she was the mother of God’s son?
- What prompted her to ask her son who had never performed any sign to “do something” for the bewildered wedding hosts who had run out of wine? Why was she the catalyst for His miraculous ministry? And she was not even flustered when He said his time had not come…she was a mother who knew her son would do whatever made her happy…hence the “Do whatever He tells you”….to the servants. (And by extension to all His followers)
- Her sorrow as she watched her Son die a cruel death for sins He did not commit. She had been warned that a sword would pierce her heart but this…..this was unbearable to witness. She had not signed up for this when she agreed to that announcement from Angel Gabriel. Did she have any regrets?
Mary’s unique role in Christianity remains honored by millions around the globe and her lifestyle of humility and trust continues to be an inspiration and example.
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Imparting our faith upon our children is our primary responsibility and one for which God will hold us accountable. It is therefore not a task to be taken lightly. Apostle Paul commended Timothy’s faith and noted that he had inherited it from his mother, Eunice and his grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). God has blessed us with their care and we are their shepherds and influencers in the first two or so decades of their lives. Jesus told Peter to “Feed my sheep” and similarly we are to feed our kids both physically and spiritually. This does not mean that their lives will be perfect or without incident, but it means that we have helped with equipping them for whatever God allows them to go through as they navigate their own journey of life.
Because of the pressures of adolescence and the choices they make in a world that bombards them with all kinds of philosophies and recreational outlets, we are usually not able to see the visible rewards of our efforts to raise them as Christians in their young age. But let us not be in doubt, those prayers over our young and the efforts we make to enhance their spiritual lives are never in vain.
However, the most effective way we can influence them is though the way we live our lives. As we have been through ups and downs in our own lives, they will surely go through theirs. There is no amount of resources we can provide them to shield them from the experiences God will allow them to go through to build their own faith. But if they are able to recall how we handled ours with faith and the nuggets of Godly wisdom we pass on to them, they will know where to turn to in their moments of trial. It behooves us then to keep in mind that our kids will always remember our reactions to events in our lives and to endeavor to make them teachable moments as often as possible.
We must also pray for the discernment to know how to recognize the differences in the personalities of these children and the grace to know how to handle them uniquely. Equally important is the discernment to know when to let the kids ‘go’ even when they are still under our care. There is no set age for allowing them increasing independence in their thoughts and decisions, hence the reason for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
May we, the mothers and ordained influencers in the lives of our children, be favorably assessed by God the Father at the end of our life’s journey. Amen.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 