I have great admiration for my mother. I know she put up with a lot! There are other mothers in my life, aunts, grandmothers, whom I also have benefited from in tremendous ways. And as I watch my wife with wonder at all she has done and does do for our three children, I am amazed. She is an incredible person. And as I want to show, it is appropriate to say, she is god-like in what she does, to God’s glory.
Today is a special day in many families. It is Mother’s Day. For some this reminds them of their own mothers. For others it reminds them of their children. For others this is a time of anticipation, and yet again, for others a time of sorrowful remembering of what might have been. No matter where we fall in the spectrum, we want to understand how Christians ought to view this day. We all know what motherhood looks like. We may not be mothers, by choice, gender, or circumstances, but all of us either have mothers, or are married to mothers, or are mothers.
First of all, there is a promise (and probably a prodding for children and husbands) in the Bible that godly mothers are worthy of praise. Children will “rise up and call her blessed” and her husband will “praise her” publicly (Prov. 31:28). Children are to “honour” both their father “and Mother.” Mother’s Day is a supremely Biblical concept. So it is right that on this day (as on every day) we show great appreciation for the great sacrifices and love and care that mothers everywhere show. But that is not as far as we want to go. There is much more. Christian mothers have an added joy. All Christians live their lives to the glory of God, as Paul puts it, “whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). And the great work of Mother’s is actually picked up by the prophet Isaiah as a picture that glorifies God. In Isaiah 66:7-14, the prophet uses motherhood as the perfect picture of the glory of God in the work of Salvation. Did you know that?
The Grace Appeal 