“Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her.”
Proverbs 31:28 NLT
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A mother has a most intimate relationship with her children. In a normal pregnancy she carries the child for nine months where it is fearfully and wonderfully made. What she eats and drinks or does to her body has a positive or negative effect on the child. She delivers it with great pain and feeds it with her own milk. Providing for its needs and welfare consumes her life. In a normal situation she has the greatest influence on the formation of that young life. I was the last of my mother’s eleven children. As the “baby” of the family, by a number of years, I got a lot of attention, and probably was a bit spoiled. All my childhood memories of my mother are very pleasant. I can actually see myself, as a youngster, cuddled up on her lap and feel the warmth of her comforting arms around me.
During my grade school years I can see her working in the garden - butchering chickens and dipping them in scalding water and plucking the feathers – sometimes I helped with the feathers. She was a wonderful cook. I always sat next to her at the dinner table. I can see her bent over the wash tub, scrubbing clothes on a scrub board. Though my mother was a very hard worker, I don’t remember her ever pushing me aside. She always seemed to have time for me.
I was the only one in the family who went to school beyond the eighth grade. Living on a farm 20 some miles from a High School required that I room and board in town. During those years I broke my mother’s heart by going the way of the world. In my mind I can still hear her weeping and pleading with the Lord for my salvation. At the age of 21 I accepted Christ as my Savior. Just a few years later when she was in her 80’s she went to be with the Lord. I am eternally grateful for her love and prayers. I am the only one left of her children, and as long as I live I will stand and bless her.
We please the Lord by blessing our mothers as we recall and give testimony to the blessing she has brought into our lives. I encourage you to take the opportunity to stand up for your mother and bless her now and always. Most likely there is no one who has impacted your life more than she has. Let her know how much you appreciate her while you have the opportunity.
2 comments:
Iver, your blog today sent me into reflection mode. The photo of your mother has a resemblence of my grandmother. Your description of your mother dressing chickens and her cooking cannot have been much different from my own mother's skills at preparing meals from "scratch" and her garden and barnyard harvests. We do differ though in birth order. Being the first of eight, I didn't get the amount of lap time or attention that you are claiming but I did get an early promotion to eating at the "adults' table" at the family gatherings.
Indeed, we are of a hearty stock and praying mothers. But for their prayers, only the Lord knows just how afar we might have strayed.
Don
Beautiful, Iver. Another example of mothers as agents of God's providence in our lives. Beautiful.
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