Mothers and motherhood are blessed and designed by God.
Depending on the translation, the word mother is used 250 times in the Bible and I didn't count the number of God-fearing women who in that vocation as a mother served their Lord, family and people as only a mother can do.
The first woman God created was Eve, "mother of all the living." We owe her our gratitude and respect. God used her to bring forth all who have lived, now live and will live. Adam, her husband knew this as he honored her with her name. Adam's name means "red dirt," but Eve's name tells of purpose and honor.
The next mother that is mention is Sarah. Genesis 17:15-16 And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
Note that God blesses her and gives her a son, with the promise of nations and kings coming from her. Sarah, like Eve, understood her purpose in life and it was a noble and blessed one.
Sarah has been honored for over 3000 years by her children. She was not a queen, a warrior or great businesswoman, but a mother who cared for her child and honored her God.
Rebecca, Leah and Rachel are the next women who were blessed mothers. They were faithful to God and their husbands. The promise given to Sarah continued through them. We see with Rachel the challenge of being a mom, for she died giving birth to Benjamin.
I move to the first two mothers mentioned in the New Testament. The first is Elizabeth. She longed to be a mother in her younger days. God planned for her to be a mom, not according to her timing, but His. She would be the mother of John the Baptist; the one who would prepare the way of the Lord. I find it interesting that her husband, Zechariah, did not believe the angel Gabriel when he told him he would be a father. Zechariah was struck mute until the birth, but it seemed Elizabeth believed.
The last mother and the greatest of all moms mentioned in the Bible is Mary. She was blessed to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. She is blessed above all women in history, just by being the mom of our Lord. By the way, all the moms mentioned are blessed, because God used them in his plan of salvation for all of Eve's children.
Being a mother is a blessing and, yes, hard work, but it is moms who carry the greatest treasure outside of the Gospel -- children, the future generations, leaders, thinkers, caregivers, people who will make a difference in the lives of their neighbors.
Moms, thank you and Happy Mother's Day.
He is Risen, Pastor Otten
