by Doug Dorsey

Mothers are more than caretakers; they are counselors, teachers, comforters, and the true servants of society…

The world can be hard on the heart of a mother. The great joy and deep love a mom knows is challenged hourly by circumstances that threaten her child's health and well-being. Being a mother is truly a calling (and not always a volunteer one) that I, as a husband and father, am amazed by. When I watch my wife with our three boys, I know that it takes courage, strength, and unbelievable stamina.

God knew what He was doing when he decided it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), "especially when child rearing is involved.

I love my kids. I try to be a good dad and fortunately have not had to fend for them on my own too often. But occasionally my wife is gone for a few days and I like to make it a good time for the boys. I take them to the park or beach, but for awhile I kept forgetting to bring water, and soon I had a reputation for practically dehydrating our kids. 

The next time my wife went on a retreat, I repeated to myself, over and over, "hydrate the kids, hydrate the kids."   I packed a cooler with water and soda and off we went. It was a hot day, so my two year old downs three cans of Mountain Dew. I'm not thinking about WHAT he's drinking, just that he's got fluids going into him.

I put him in his crib that night, sure that he was tired after such an active day. But I kept hearing crashing, banging, and bouncing sounds coming from his room. When I went to investigate, the room looked like a war zone. Even his mattress was on the floor. I couldn't figure out what was going on— where was all this superhuman strength coming from?

I took him out of his bed, set him loose, and watched him run circles through the house like a crazed track star—over and over, round and round—until 5:30 in the morning. Exhausted, I still had no clue as I finally fell asleep at dawn.

When my wife came home, and I told my sad story, the first thing she asked was, what did our son eat and drink? I quickly assured her that he was well hydrated. "Three Mountain Dews!" I exclaimed. She just shook her head knowingly. 

I need her around to mother these kids, or we'd be in trouble.

Mothers are more than caretakers; they are counselors, teachers, comforters, and the true servants of society—often the first to get up and the last to go to bed. And sometime they must make hard choices and extreme sacrifices.

A Harlot
I'm thinking of a mother in the Bible whose story touches my heart —and it may surprise you. She wasn't the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31…or Hannah, the young woman who prayed desperately for a son and gave birth to Samuel the prophet…or Moses' mother who sent him down the river to save him…or Mary the mother of Jesus—all wonderful, noble mothers.

I'm thinking of a harlot—a prostitute—a woman who became a mother in a harsh and loveless manner. A woman despised and used by her culture. I don't know how she got there. Things happen in people's lives that they have no control over—things that happen by mistake, by bad choices, or circumstances. I do know that she found herself with a child, which she could've aborted (they did that in those days too) or abandoned, but she didn't. Ultimately, she faced the hardest choice a mother can make.

You might remember this story from the Bible (1 Kings 3:16-28). This harlot had a friend, another harlot, who rolled over on her own baby one night and smothered it, then tried to cover up the tragedy by stealing her friend's baby. 

The passionate, emotional dispute that followed was finally brought before King Solomon, known for his wisdom. Each woman claimed the baby as hers. Can you imagine the pain of the real mother? 

Solomon made a shocking proposal: cut the baby in half and give half to each woman. The false mother agreed—why not? Why shouldn't they both be miserable?

But the true mother, the one who would die before she saw her child harmed, threw herself on the mercy of the king, and "yearned with compassion for her son," the Bible says, as she cried, "O my lord, give her the living child and by no means harm him!"   Of course the king knew who the true mother was. He knew only the true mother would make such a sacrifice. 

Mothers in all kinds of circumstances—married, widowed, divorced, single, working outside the home, or stay at home—make sacrifices and choices every day for the love of their children. 

Thank you for choosing life
I know that there are some mothers out there who carry a special pain in their hearts; they are the mothers, like the mother who stood before King Solomon, who had to make a choice to give up their children. Mothers who decided that adoption was the best life they could give their children. Mothers who will always carry in their hearts the memory of a baby being born, held briefly, then sacrificially given away to the arms of another family. To those moms, I say, thank you for choosing life, thank you for making a courageous choice and giving someone else a gift. 

A doctor from a local hospital and his wife were trying, with difficulty, to adopt a baby. He heard about a young woman who had just given birth and agreed to adoption. He went to that hospital room, leaned over her bed, hugged her and thanked her for what she had just done for a family who desperately wanted a baby. To those mothers who made such a hard choice, who chose life over abortion, and gave their child to loving home, we thank you and honor you.

Yes, the world can be hard on a mother's heart. Mothers watch their children grow up and grow more independent. They rejoice in that progress, yet with every child leaving, a piece of her heart goes too. They watch the world tear away at their child's heart, and they love even more, pray and learn to trust God with these precious lives.

Proverbs 25 says of a woman who knows God, "Strength and honor are her clothing."  Most people are anxious about future. But a woman who knows her God and trusts in Him looks at the future with boldness and says, "You think you can terrify me?"  All the sickness, calamities, temptations and threats society can throw at her and her family will not move her.  "Strength and honor"  are her clothing. A mom who knows the Lord and walks with Him does not need to be afraid of the future or terrified by things that might happen. And in turn, she teaches her children to trust in God in His Word and to face the future with faith.

And here's what happens in return:  "Her children rise up to call her blessed" (Proverbs 31:28).

May God bless all the mothers we know.

Pastor Doug Dorsey is an assistant pastor at Maranatha Chapel and oversees our Family Ministry.

To hear the original Mother's Day message Doug preached, go to our archives and here then scroll to May 4.