Three Things I Learned as a Mother

1. God’s hand created our children inside our bodies.

When I look at my two 6’5” boys, now adults, I think It’s hard to believe God formed them in my womb. At one time their home was inside of my belly and during their nine-month lease, God was crafting their DNA, features and appearance—so miraculous when you think about it. We often speak about ourselves being made in the image of God, but do we ever meditate on the thought that we mothers were used as the potter’s wheel while the Almighty shaped our children inside of us?

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).

2. Being a mom is a God-Given responsibility.

My role as a mother has been one of the greatest honors and responsibility that I have ever experienced. I was not the perfect mother and didn’t give up my career to be a stay-at-home mom. I worked full-time through most of my oldest son’s childhood and continued working a full schedule until my youngest son was in third grade. I didn’t do well with plopping on the floor to play games because no one ever did that with me.

However, I spent long hours with the boys and was good at taking the kids to activities like playdates, the zoo, to movies or to places like “Chuck-E-Cheese.” I have a friend who said she always had a Chuck-E-Cheese headache after spending over an hour chasing kids and listening to all the dings and pings of the games!

As moms we also have a responsibility to teach our children about God.

Because of my schedule, it was difficult to be a room mother or volunteer for class parties. I did more of that with my second child. However, I thought it was important to teach the boys about the ways of God, and because I was off most Sunday mornings, I faithfully volunteered to lead and provide lessons for both of their Sunday school classes for many years. I remember another mom complaining that so few mothers volunteer to help at school. I was wondering if that was directed at me so I said, “Before you judge them, make sure they’re not the ones who tirelessly volunteer and prepare lessons on Sunday’s to teach your children about the Bible and faith.”

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

3. Mothers are a conduit for God’s unconditional love.

The most important thing I learned from mothering was about unconditional love. From the moment both Kyle and Bret entered this world, my heart poured out to them. I didn’t realize I could love like that. That’s why we mothers make the sacrifices we make, out of our love for our children.

God uses mothers to provide a glimpse of how much He loves us. We forgive our children for disobeying our rules, we love them even when they don’t return our love as we’d like, and we still deeply care for them even when talk back to us on occasion. Does this sound a bit like our relationship with God? We probably can’t imagine a greater love than a love of a mother for her children, and the Bible actually says that God loves His people like this.

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

But God’s love for us goes beyond even that. Take a mother’s love and multiply it by infinity. That’s how much God loves us. In fact, Ephesians 3:17, the apostle Paul said we need power to understand how “wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

So as you reflect on your own motherhood this Mother’s Day, ponder the fact that we are being used by God in our roles as mothers. Mothers are important to God because He desires a relationship with our children, just as He pursued a relationship with us. God calls on us as mothers to make Him known to our sons and daughters.

Happy Mother’s Day!