She Who Shapes And Molds

   Sometime back it was reported that a seminar was held for ministers in training.  One of the motivational speakers scheduled to address the crowd approached the speaker’s stand and said, “The best years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman that wasn’t my wife!”  The crowd of prospective preachers were shocked until he went on to say, “And that woman was my mother!”  The crowd burst into laughter.

   While humorous in the way the speaker presented his statement, the sentiment behind what he said was no laughing matter.  Not to minimize a father’s role in the rearing of his children, there’s nothing quite like a mother’s love for and relationship with her children. 
   Mothers play a huge role in raising their children.  Stay at home mothers usually spend far more time with their children, personally seeing to their needs and daily giving them instruction, guidance and discipline, than do their fathers who are away making a living all day most days of the week.  Even working mothers usually seem to spend a bit more time with their children than do fathers.  As a result much of the building of character within children’s lives is accomplished by their mothers.
   Understanding that reality, mothers play an enormous role in shaping and molding their children and, through the lives of their children as they grow up, mothers shape and mold the future culture of our nation.
   Mothers being the keepers of the home, so to speak, is not an invention of man.  It is by God’s design.  In his letter to Titus the Apostle Paul instructed older women in the church to teach younger women “to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Tit. 2:4-5).  In his first letter to Timothy, speaking of younger widows, Paul stated, “Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” (1 Tim. 5:14).
   Blended in with all of her other duties a godly mother is also a tremendous influence in the spiritual development of her children.  All through the day mothers teach their children biblical principles through object lessons that naturally present themselves. Countless little ones have set at their mothers knee, or lay tucked in at bedtime, and listened as their loving mom read Bible stories to them.  And blessed be the patient mother who smiles as her little one blurts out, at the top of his lungs, “Amen!” at the end of a prayer in the worship service at church.
   It’s not just her children who grow spiritually through the influence of mom.  As her husband observes her patient, persistent godly influence on their children, he also grows stronger spiritually.  Thank God for mothers, and extra thanks be to God for faithful, godly mothers.  They truly shape and mold lives and fit them for eternity…
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