The Significance of a Mom, Part 1

May, 2005

by: Brock Bolde

There’s an old Jewish Proverb that says: “A child without a mother is like a door without a knob.” And I believe that statement to be true. There is no doubt that children are full of unlimited potential. And yet without the gentle guiding hand of a mother, that potential is often left locked up, unable to work its way out from behind the door. We live in a society today that continuously tears down the importance of being a mother. Too many times women are made to feel inferior or embarrassed for being mothers and housewives. In reality, such roles should be considered noble callings. In his book, “The Power Delusion”, Anthony Campolo writes:

When I was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, there were gatherings from time to time to which faculty members brought their spouses. Inevitably, some woman lawyer or sociologist would confront my wife with the question, “And what is it that you do, my dear?” My wife, who is one of the most brilliantly articulate individuals I know, had a great response: “I am socializing two homo sapiens in the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might be instruments for the transformation of the social order into the teleologically prescribed utopia inherent in the eschaton.” When she followed that with, “And what is it that you do?” the other person’s “A lawyer” just wasn’t that overpowering.

As a mother, a woman has an unparalleled ability to influence her child’s life in a way that no man ever could. It is a role that God has designed them for and it is of the utmost importance that they fulfill their calling in such a way that God would get the glory. In commenting on the nature of women, Martin Luther is reported to have said: “When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called her Eve, that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother, mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman.”

Genesis 3:20 adds weight to this thought in that it says – “Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.” There is no greater calling for a woman than that of being a mother. There is no social status, there is no career, there is nothing that equates to their esteemed position of mother. And yet society will try to tell them that simply being a mom isn’t enough. Well the last time I looked there wasn’t anything simple about being a mom. There’s nothing simple about getting grass stains out of a nice new pair of pants. There’s nothing simple about staying up late to help a child finish that big project that’s due first thing tomorrow morning, especially when they’ve known the due date for weeks. There’s nothing simple about investing your life into the life of a child so that they might someday confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Women must not be fooled into thinking that there could be any greater task than that of being a mother. NO ONE, let me repeat that, NO ONE can have the impact that a woman can have on the life of her children).

According to 2 Timothy 1:5, a young man by the name of Timothy was greatly impacted by both his mother and his grandmother. “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.” These women were faithful to their calling and as a result the entire Christian world has been richly blessed by the fruit of their efforts. This Mother’s Day, may we all take some time to encourage mothers everywhere to fulfill their God-given calling!