Happy Mother's Day!

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let’s look at history’s most famous mother. The Bible is filled with lessons on parenting. And as we look at Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, we may learn some lessons on motherhood. Mary was called to her task, just as mothers today are called by God to do their task.

A mother called by God submits completely to God’s will.

When Mary was only a young lady, she was confronted with the challenge to be completely submitted to God’s will. When Gabriel gave her the angelic message that she was to carry the Christ, Mary was stunned. "How will this be," she asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel explained what God would require of her and Mary replied, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:34-38)

The key phrase? “I am the Lord’s servant… ” Mary never wavered from her complete submission to God’s will. Was she nervous? Certainly. Was she worried about the forthcoming scandal? Of course! How was she going to explain everything to Joseph? Would anyone believe her? Was she unsure of her own abilities? Who wouldn’t be? What does she know about taking care of babies? Was she anxious about the prophecy that part of her future would include pain? Most probably. But Mary, unlike a lot of parents in the world today, was completely committed to God. She had no room for commitment to anything else. She set aside her own fears and committed her whole future to God, trusting God completely. And that made her a mother worth imitating.

A mother called by God does not have to be perfect.

Despite the fact that she was the mother of Jesus, Mary wasn’t perfect! Remember? In Matthew 12:46-50 while Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. This is where Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother." If Mary had truly understood the task of Jesus, would she have tried to interrupt him, stopping the ministry of Jesus, even for a little while? That was a mistake on Mary’s part.

We, as mothers (or fathers) have also made mistakes in the past, we’ll certainly make a mistake or two today, and we’ll make more mistakes tomorrow. Still, we are called by God to be mothers (or fathers) – to bring up our children His way. And through it all, God will love us, work with us, and accept us. Because God called us to be parents, we will be blessed.

Happy Mother’s Day!