“Her children arise and call her blessed.”
– Proverbs 31:28
Wouldn’t it be nice if children would appreciate and bless their mothers from birth? Why is it that so many people really don’t appreciate their moms until they are grown? Young children cling to their moms, but often teens will shout, “I hate you” so convincingly that we may believe it. Whatever the reasons, it is nice to know that in many cases children do come to realize the importance of their mothers once they are on their own and must face some of the same things their moms faced with them.
It is almost funny to watch grown, tough, sports celebrities saying, “Hi, Mom!” on TV. It is interesting to see Little League players making sideward glances to the stands to see if mom is watching. God put a special bond between mother and child. Even a hardened criminal will sometimes soften when mother is mentioned.
What about those sad mothers, however, who never seem to be appreciated? When Mother’s Day comes, no gift arrives. Then, mom begins to remember the sleepless nights of prayer, the tired legs from cooking and laundry, the incessant taxiing to and from activities, and the many other things she did that have gone unnoticed. She will get her blessing from the Lord and perhaps eventually here on earth.
The 31st chapter of Proverbs describes so very well what a good mother should do and be. It would be well for all mothers to read that chapter occasionally as a self-check to evaluate their performance. Most moms know what it means to see that their children are clothed, fed, and clean. Moms sit beside a bed of a sick child, feeling helpless and wishing she could take the place of that child. She knows well what it means to get up several times at night to feed a baby or see that all is well. Often, she is the last one to bed after making sure all doors are locked and all is secure. Sometimes it is difficult to set about her work “vigorously” as described in the New International Version of the Bible. Necessity often forces us to do so, however. Young children keep us from “eating the bread of idleness,” but when our children are grown and no longer in the house, it is tempting to run to the kitchen for a snack since we no longer have the demands on our time as when the children were young.
Where can we find a perfect mother? I’m sure that none exist, but mothers deserve to be blessed for a heart of concern and love and the effort they put forth. If we go to church on Mother’s Day smelling like a fruit basket as I once did because our children gave me green apple cologne, orange blossom soap and peach hand cream, we can each hold our heads high and say, “I am blessed!” ν