May 13: SOME THOUGHTS ON MOTHERHOOD

I asked a mother who had successfully raised four children to adulthood “What is the most important quality a mother must have to raise her children?” The answer: unconditional love will be the key to success. After all, beginning in infancy, it is the Mother who usually is up for the 2 or 3 a.m. feeding because “Daddy needs his sleep”. As if Mothers didn’t! It is the mothers who carry the load of the sick child, for instance, staying for days in the intensive care unit if needed. It is the mother who is available to take care of bumps and bruises and love all of the preschooler’s art work and faithfully display it on the refrigerator.
It is the mother who lends the sympathetic ear to all of the stories of “breaking-up”. It is the mothers who are the “enforcers” of the disciplinary rules laid down by the absentee fathers. Dozens of other examples could be brought forward to verify the role of “unconditional love”.
Of course, single girls getting pregnant don’t know that this is a necessary ingredient. That’s why Grandmothers (who do know) often end up raising the children. It is so easy to become a mother but so hard to be a mother. That makes abortion a favorite “out” for many who don’t want the hard work of motherhood. Motherhood is getting harder now, no doubt about it. “Honor your Mother” is an oft-repeated command. (Exodus 30:12, Luke 18:20, Ephesians 6:2)
You have been blessed by God if you have received unconditional love from a mother because it includes discipline. It is not to be confused with “spoiling”, which is selfish love, centered on the parent’s feelings not the child’s feelings. Unconditional love was modeled by Jesus, it loves you until death. It will keep on teaching you as long as you live.
Thank you, Mothers!

“How beautiful to see a loving Mother at work, Heavenly Father, it is a
breath of fresh air in a money-driven world. Praise Your Name! Amen”