The Importance of Mothers-Reiterated

 The following post, from 2021, is worth revisiting this Mother Day in 2022.   We hope you agree.

 The vital importance of motherhood needs no confirmation because the very existence of each of us and any progress we may have made toward physical or emotional maturity is a living testimony to the essential nature of motherhood. Most of us could personally attest to and endorse old sayings such as, "God couldn't be everywhere, so he gave us mothers". Or, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Or again, "Behind every great man stands a great woman." Down through the ages responsible Godly mothers have served mankind and have fulfilled God's eternal purpose for man as well.  Since all good is a gift that comes down to man from the Father in heaven, these qualities could also be described as divine qualities; especially those particular characteristics that obviously emulate the divine attributes of God.

It would seem significant that God's plan involves responsible mothers who have a primary responsibly in bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The importance and influence of a mother's role as a primary care giver and loving guide of the children God entrusts to the home cannot be overstated. Many studies have confirmed that mothers  who take this responsibility seriously are by far the primary influence that can determine the direction of a child's life. The same studies reveal that a large percentage of this influence is exerted before the child is six years old. The mother often creates the environment and teaches the standards and values that ultimately determine a child's personality, character traits and future value judgements.

Of course, this is not recent news. Someone said long ago, "Virtues are learned at mother's knee - vices at some other joint." God inspired the wise man to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." History confirms the importance of responsible mothers in the formative years of a child. Sir Walter Scott's mother was well educated and a lover or poetry. George Washington's mother was a pure and good woman. The mother of Patrick Henry was very eloquent of speech. John and Charles Wesley's mother was intelligent, pious and full of organisational ability. Napoleon Bonaparte's mother was energetic and full of ambition. When asked what France needed most, Napoleon replied, "Godly mothers." Lord Bryon, the great infidel and agnostic poet, had a mother who was ill-tempered, proud and violent.

A mother's ministry of help includes a baby's first steps, first words, the mystery of shoe strings, and the magical world of pretend. There is a story told of a mother asking a pastor when she should begin teach her five year old about God. He replied, "Hurry home, you've lost five years already!"  

-Pastor John White

The Importance of Mothers

 The vital importance of motherhood needs no confirmation because the very existence of each of us and any progress we may have made toward physical or emotional maturity is a living testimony to the essential nature of motherhood. Most of us could personally attest to and endorse old sayings such as, "God couldn't be everywhere, so he gave us mothers". Or, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Or again, "Behind every great man stands a great woman." Down through the ages responsible Godly mothers have served mankind and have fulfilled God's eternal purpose for man as well.  Since all good is a gift that comes down to man from the Father in heaven, these qualities could also be described as divine qualities; especially those particular characteristics that obviously emulate the divine attributes of God.

It would seem significant that God's plan involves responsible mothers who have a primary responsibly in bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The importance and influence of a mother's role as a primary care giver and loving guide of the children God entrusts to the home cannot be overstated. Many studies have confirmed that mothers  who take this responsibility seriously are by far the primary influence that can determine the direction of a child's life. The same studies reveal that a large percentage of this influence is exerted before the child is six years old. The mother often creates the environment and teaches the standards and values that ultimately determine a child's personality, character traits and future value judgements.

Of course, this is not recent news. Someone said long ago, "Virtues are learned at mother's knee - vices at some other joint." God inspired the wise man to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." History confirms the importance of responsible mothers in the formative years of a child. Sir Walter Scott's mother was well educated and a lover or poetry. George Washington's mother was a pure and good woman. The mother of Patrick Henry was very eloquent of speech. John and Charles Wesley's mother was intelligent, pious and full of organisational ability. Napoleon Bonaparte's mother was energetic and full of ambition. When asked what France needed most, Napoleon replied, "Godly mothers." Lord Bryon, the great infidel and agnostic poet, had a mother who was ill-tempered, proud and violent.

A mother's ministry of help includes a baby's first steps, first words, the mystery of shoe strings, and the magical world of pretend. There is a story told of a mother asking a pastor when she should begin teach her five year old about God. He replied, "Hurry home, you've lost five years already!"  

-Pastor John White

The Real Purpose of Life

 What is it to learn the humility of Christ? Perhaps it is to share not only His Cross and His Mission, but His world view as well. His "other worldly" outlook.

Our life should be Christ. He who made the universe and spoke the earth into existence, laid no claim to continuing temporal possessions while he lived in the flesh. He owned no bed upon which to lay His head. We may have a house, but only as a necessity and not as a desire to possess. It is said that birds from the arctic caged in the zoo always look northward. So we look heavenward, to our true home.

This world is not our home we're just passing through. We are only sojourners. Wayfaring pilgrims on a trek to a better land. We have a city whose builder and maker is God. Paul in his letter to the Philippians church compared our residence on planet earth to colonists whose citizenship is in heaven. Just as early colonists always had a deep longing for the motherland, so we who are eternal children of the eternal God long for our eternal home. He also spoke of our life here as heavenly ambassadors and as living letters of the love of God. Not until we live our life in light of this other world reality, will we have a sense of the humility our Saviour spoke of and possessed.

It was Paul who said, "For me to live is Christ." Real humility always entails a oneness of priority and purpose. This is why the analogy of being yoke-fellows with Christ is so apt. Those who have had the experience, as I have, of trying to get a team of unequally yoked horses to work together, know how frustrating and futile the effort can be. Normally they are of different temperament and lack unity of purpose. In order for them to work in tandem one of them must sublimate his will to the other. So it is with children of God who would labour together in humility and submission with Christ.

"ONLY ONE LIFE, 'TWILL SOON BE PAST,

ONLY WHAT'S DONE FOR CHRIST, WILL LAST!"