One of the first things we figure out is that being a mom is awesome and hard. But have you ever thought about this: without us, the world as we know it comes to an end. Literally. Without mothers to grow and birth children, there is no more human civilization. And God designed it to be that way. Yeah, we’re kinda important.
While we may do things differently now than in Biblical times, a mom is a mom and we can learn a lot from those mentioned in the Bible. Being a mom is incredibly difficult but also in-expressively amazing. It is today and it was thousands of years ago. When you think of moms in the Bible, Mary is probably the first who comes to mind. There is also Eve, Sarah, Leah, Hannah, Elizabeth, and countless others. There are also moms that are mentioned, but not by name.
Being A Momma Is Awesome
For example, King David had a mother (obviously). There are only two instances where she is mentioned in the Bible:
1) When David asked for protection from the King of Moab for his parents:
1 Samuel 22: 3-4
“3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” 4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.”
2) in a prayer found in the book of Psalm that is attributed to David.
Psalm 86:16
“16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.”
From these two small verses, we gather that David loved and respected his mother and that she raised him to follow and obey God. These small tidbits of knowledge let us know that she was an amazing mom. Can you imagine the joy she felt that David was a hardworking teenage shepherd boy? She was likely beaming with pride when Samuel anointed him to be Israel’s next King, even if he didn’t take the throne immediately and there were lots of bumps along the way. To see our kids grow up to be men and women of character is something to be proud of.
Just like each of us, David made some pretty big mistakes during his lifetime (ours are just fortunate to not be recorded in scripture for all of creation to read), he had a tremendous heart for God. He loved passionately (1 Samuel 18:1), prayed fervently (pick any Psalm attributed to David!), and held nothing back in worship (2 Samuel 6:16-22). I would love to grab a cup of cocoa with the mother who raised a person with such exceptional character and reverence for God. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could learn about her parenting style? How did she discipline? How did she fit worship into her daily routine? What was her favorite game to play with little David? We won’t know the answers in this lifetime, but we are given the Bible as our guide to not only learn and obey God ourselves, but to raise our children to do the same, just as David’s mother did.
And that, my friends, is the biggest reason why being a mom is so awesome. God trusts us to raise our children to grow up and be like him. It’s a big responsibility but the rewards of being a mom are abundant. We get to hug, kiss, rock, snuggle, and play with our kids like no one else can or will. We get to watch and nurture their development into adulthood. Then, we get to feel their love and respect in return. Our kids will pray for us and have waves of fond memories that we built together with them. There will always be a unique and special connection between us and our children – even those that become big shots like King David!
Being a Momma Is Hard
Now, this is not to say that your mother/child relationship will be ideal all the time or at any stage. Read through the parable of the prodigal son. It’s about the falling out between a father and son, but the point is the same. Parenting is tough business.
Luke 15: 11-31
“11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
My child has told me that he doesn’t love me. I have also been hit, bitten, smacked, ignored, yelled at, and spit on. Your heart will always be hurt when these things happen. Emotions and our sin nature work together to form hateful words and a mean spirit for both young children and adults. Fights, hard feelings, silent treatments, abuse, disappointment, anger…these and so many more negative qualities can plague our relationships on both sides at any age.
If you are in the midst of a really hard stage with your children, take heart knowing that as long as you have pointed them to Jesus, they are in God’s capable and omniscient hands. Keep praying for them and for the relationship you have with them. Don’t give up reaching out to love them. Don’t fight back with your own harsh words that you’ll regret. Jesus didn’t do that to us when he walked on the Earth and we threw every evil, hateful, sinful action and word we could at him. Let’s mimic Jesus and love when it’s awesome and when it’s hard. Let’s love without expectation.
This is part of a series called The “Being a Mom is Awesome (& Hard)” devotional. Click here to read more of the series. Messy Tired Love devotionals connect everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. Learn more here.
Welcome to Messy Tired Love! The devotionals you'll find here aim to connect your everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. I hold nothing back as I share my story that's filled with lots of messy, tired, but oh-so-filled-with-love moments. I have three little blessings, that together with God's Word are the inspiration for these devotionals. I hope you will be encouraged, and maybe even get a good laugh, while exploring these devotionals. Much love!
Thank you for your wisdom. I am the mother of a 2 year old and I am pregnant. I need words of encouragement and I google for some help. Your blog has been extremely helpful. The Lord is, for sure, using you. Thank you!