Mothers of the Bible.
EVE If you start on the subject of motherhood, you have to start with Eve. Eve was the very first mother on earth. Eve is effectively the original mother. She had no one to turn to when she wondered how a fever and rash could be soothed, or if it was OK to give an infant strawberries, or other such things that most of us can turn to our mother and ask when we are worried and unsure. Eve was the first to experience the joys of motherhood – the wet kisses, the first steps, sharing the joys of discovery with her children. Eve also experienced the first heartbreak as a mother, when she was the first to have to bury a child. Eve made her mistakes, but she had to live with them.
SARAH Sarah is a great reminder that God does not require your life to be perfect, and He also does not promise that your life will be perfect. Sarah was waiting for the child that would bless all families of the Earth. But this child didn’t come on her time schedule. So Sarah took matters into her own hands, and messed things up royally. And why did God continue to see His plan to fruition through Sarah? Because God, unlike man, does not just see who you are today, He sees who He has destined you to become. Sarah laughed, but God delivered. Sarah is very much like us today.
BATHSHEBA Bathsheba is a woman who is used by King David, as an object of his affection and a desire of his whim. However she is strong throughout King David’s weakness of character. She is the one who coolly calls him to be responsible for his actions. Bathsheba then bears the tragedy of David’s sins, through the loss of her first husband and the loss of her infant. However, she later has a son whom she petitions successfully to become the heir, King Solomon. Bathsheba never let her situation define her, she subtlety defined her situation, and the fate of her children.
JOCHEBED Jochebed had to make the ultimate choice. She was pregnant at a time when she knew that if she gave birth to a son, that he would be killed. Her pregnancy surely was filled with terror. Once she gave birth, she loved her son greatly, but knew his fate. Instead, she put him in a basket and sailed him down the river, leaving him at great risk. And likely the whole time, she prayed for God to protect her baby, asking for a miracle. And through her faith, her son was given back to her when she was hired as a nurse-maid. Little did she know of the miracle God would deliver through her son Moses.
MARY Mary, mother of Jesus, is the ultimate mother of the Bible. She felt all that a mother can feel. The anticipation of birth – Mary even had to endure this through the doubtful eyes of those around her. She most likely felt completely and wholly unworthy of the honor bestowed on her. But she offered all she had, for the mercy of God’s plan. She then did all the work of motherhood – the late night feedings, the diaper changing, the endless laundry. She also experienced the joys of motherhood as Jesus grew and learned from her and the world around them. And then it was all torn from her, as she lived the pain and suffering and death of her first born son. But Mary lived on, for herself, for her love of God, and for her other children and grandchildren.
Motherhood, then and now, is at times an exhausting job. It is truly, however, an honorable one, established and blessed by God. All mothers feel the same emotions, share the same workload, experience the joys and sorrows of each of our children, as we shape them and build them to be servants of the Lord, here on Earth. And we can take inspiration from these five women, who illustrate for us the strength and love and faith needed to navigate motherhood. Happy Mother’s Day!
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