For those of you who had mothers who made sure you were in Church, read Bible stories to you, and taught you to pray before meals, you know the value of having a godly mother.

My mother was not only a homemaker, but she was also our primary Bible teacher. Whether she was teaching a Sunday School class, Children’s Church, or just instructing us at home, I got my first understanding of Scripture from my mother.

Although it was my father who eventually led me to Christ at the age of six sitting on the edge of my bed, my mother was right there beside him. I know she had been fervently praying for me. She was faithful to take every opportunity to explain to me what it meant to place my trust in Jesus.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” Isaiah 49:15 (NKJV).

Mothers Model Christ

Mothers can also teach us about Christ through their lives. Starting with the very general things that are characteristics of all good mothers, and not just godly ones: mothers never stop loving us even when we hurt them, mothers suffer when we suffer, mothers pursue us even when we move far away.

I was fortunate enough to be born third and learn from the examples of my older sisters what not to do, or should I say it taught me how not to get caught. That didn’t exempt me from getting myself in trouble and having to be disciplined. Even when I was being punished, I knew that my mother still loved me. I might have been very angry with her at the time, but there was never a moment in my life that I ever doubted her love for me. With all of the mistakes I’ve made, I knew I would always be forgiven.

Sometimes I wonder who has suffered more during the difficult trials of my life. My mother was always there to weep with me and sympathize with me in my struggles. I know my mother has always worried about me. She still calls me any time the weather report calls for storms, even though she’s over three hundred miles away.
I might go awhile without calling her, but she still knows everything that is going on in my life. She even reads this newsletter and was shocked to find out in an article two months ago that I was in a near death experience when I was a teenager. Mother’s never stop caring for their children.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed... But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” Proverbs 31:28 & 30 (NKJV).

Mothers can push us to Christ

Even if you didn’t have a godly mother, she can still teach you to seek Christ. Mothers are not perfect, and that is important.

Now that I am an adult I have a more honest impression of my mother. She’s not perfect. We have even been able to talk about the mistakes she’s made. But not being perfect is a better picture for Christ than if she had never messed up. If my mother was perfect, I would probably worship her. But her imperfections drove me to find righteousness in Christ alone.

It is the subtle irony of parenting. Babies in the womb are completely dependent upon their mother. In their early development children cling to their mother for shelter, security, and sustenance. As they develop they are primarily taught about life through the instruction of their mother. But as they grow toward independence, it is the mother who has the struggle of finally letting them go and entrusting them to God.

Now when I talk with my mother and she shares with me her struggles, I am reminded that we are all on this journey together, looking to Jesus and striving to be like Him. It’s just encouraging knowing that she’s beside me and willing to help me along the way.

Rev. Adam Miller is the President and Host of Songtime and can be heard daily on the Songtime Radio Broadcast.