Honoring God by Honoring Our Mothers
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” - 1Timothy 2:15
It seems like these days, many women are resisting the call to motherhood and forgoing having children. At the same time, bitterness towards mothers is also on the rise, with too many adult children resenting their mothers’ noble yet imperfect attempts at mothering, looking at their flaws and weaknesses more than their strengths and sacrifices.
But even if the world turns its back on mothers and motherhood, believers in Jesus Christ are called to embrace motherhood and honor their mothers, respecting God’s design and plan for motherhood, and the place of honor He has given them on earth.
God cares about how we treat, speak to, and speak about our mothers and mothers-in-law. It matters to Him because, as His family, it reflects on Him how we treat and speak about them.
As the Apostle Paul explained in Ephesians 6:2-3, “‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
So grave was it under Old Testament law to dishonor one’s mother and father that it brought deathly punishment. “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death” (Exodus 21:17).
Even if our mothers have totally failed us, God calls us to forgive them and to recognize the God-ordained sacredness of them carrying us to life in their own bodies. Author and speaker Joyce Meyers shares how her mother failed to protect her growing up from her father’s sexual abuse.
In many ways, she found it harder to forgive her mother than her father. Still, in her parents’ later years, God called Joyce to care for them, something she initially resisted.
But even for mothers who have totally failed us in life, God calls us to honor Him by honoring them, even if they don’t deserve it.
Most women begin motherhood with little to no experience, learning and growing as they go, starting out as greenhorns and discovering along the way how to handle the endless hours of motherhood’s tremendous responsibilities.
Too many women enter motherhood with unaddressed and often unknown issues in their own lives, revealing underlying weaknesses and issues they may have no real understanding of or skill to handle.
Because it is a trial-and-error sort of relationship, sadly, some mothers feel like failures long before their children grow up and point fingers at their mothering deficiencies.
Still, even in their weaknesses and failures, and regardless of their struggles and faults, mothers are treasured and loved by God. We are commanded to honor the position God has given them on the earth. As sons and daughters, God calls us to honor Him by honoring our mothers.
Doing so is an act of obedience and glorifies God.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you honoring your mother this year? What about your mother-in-law? If you’re finding it difficult to do so for various reasons, ask God to help you honor Him by honoring them this Mother’s Day. As well, if you’ve disrespected them in the past, ask for their forgiveness so you can begin anew in your relationship with them.
Further Reading:
29 Beautiful Bible Verses About Mothers that Will Honor Mothers in Your Life
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Photo Credit: ©evegenyatamanenko
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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