Mother

Sometimes we need to remember who we are.

A person is born either male or female.  They grow to become man or woman.  If Yahweh so blesses, they may become Dad or Mom. 

I can’t speak for fathers, but I’ve heard it said that men gain their self worth from their profession.  When meeting for the first time, men will talk about what they do.  “I’m a doctor.”  “I’m a janitor.”  “I work for (insert name).”  But once a woman is a mother, she is a mother.  For the rest of her life she will speak of her children; how many, which sex, and whether or not she is happy as a mother.

Ecclesiastes 3:1&2, “For everything there is a season, a right time for every intention under heaven—a time to bear and a time to die,…”  My oldest child is twenty years old.  My baby is one.  I have about 20 more years of mothering ahead of me.  Wow.   So, for this season of life I am a mother.  My season of motherhood is longer than most women.  There are days when I look at others and I covet their season of friends, and reading, and studying, and exercising, etc.  I am wrong to do this.  For this is the “right time” for me to intentionally be a mother.

Someday I will be the “older woman” that Paul writes to Titus about.  Titus 2:3-5, “Likewise, tell the older women to behave the way people leading a holy life should.  They shouldn’t be slanderers or slaves to excessive drinking.  They should teach what is good, thus training the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to take good care of their homes and submit to their husbands.  In this way, Elohim’s message will not be brought into disgrace.” 

I have often lamented the fact that an older woman never came into my life to train me in these things.  But I have come to realize that the Father of all sent me His Spirit and He has led me to read good books that have been my “older women”.  (thank You)  For I do love my husband and children.  I am the keeper of my home, and I do it well.  I am working on being in control of myself.

Part of self control would be laying aside the desire to NOT be a mother sometimes.  Being content with this season of my life, however long it may be.  For the other half of the Ecclesiastes verse speaks of “a time to die.”  We do not know the hour of our death, nor, heaven forbid, the day one of our children may die.

In the Old Testament women pleaded to Yahweh for a baby.  The writer of Psalms 127 and 128 knew how precious children are.  They are a gift and a blessing from Yahweh.  How often today though, do we hear women curse their children, calling them “monsters” and “little devils”?  Sarah named her son “Isaac”, laughter.  What a blessing he was!  He was the heir to the promise.  In her tent there was joy and laughter. 

If you have children, you know what pure joy they can bring to your heart.  I have often felt that the only “pure” love left in this sinful world is the love that a mother feels for her child.  She would surely lay down her life for his/hers. 

And yet that is exactly what I’m tired of:  laying down my life, 24/7, to seemingly, ungrateful “blessings”.   (oops, I was going to call them something else ;-) 

Paul encourages us again in II Thessalonians 3:13, “But you, brethren, do not grow weary doing good.”   DO NOT GROW WEARY!  Mothers, we must take care of ourselves.  Not to excess like women who are constantly pampering themselves, to the exclusion of everyone else in their lives.  We are “doing good” when we laugh and keep house and love.  We cannot grow weary during this season of our lives. 

Nothing compares to raising children up for Yahweh’s glory and Kingdom!  Soon enough the springtime of childhood passes into our winter.  Truly, I miss my oldest daughter.  How I long to go back and hug her more, play with her more.  Funny, I don’t want to yell at her more or teach her more math.

I love writing.  I like putting my thoughts down.  I like watching the words form coherent ideas that others might enjoy, possibly even learn from.  I like reading and rereading the words, deleting the wrong choice and inserting the right word.  I like making the smiley faces, (so I don’t take myself too seriously.)  J  But do you know how long it has taken me to write just this page and a half?!  THREE HOURS!  Do you know why?  “MOM, Celora has to go potty!”  “Can I play the computer after you, Mom?”  (oh no! they know I’m playing ;-)  “Ethan just bit me!”  Ah, the season of giving birth.   

Intentionally.   A right time.   Laughter.   Remember?   I do now.   I am a mother. 

Shalom to all mothers,

Laura Blair