Lessons About Motherhood From An Unlikely Place

It is said that an angel strolled out of heaven one beautiful day and found his way to this old world. He roamed through field and city beholding the varied scenes of nature and art, and just at sunset he plumed his golden wings and said, “I must return to the world of light; shall I not take with me some mementos of my visit here?

“How beautiful and fragrant those flowers are! I will pluck of them a choice bouquet.”

Passing a country home where he saw through the open door a crib with a rosy cheeked baby smiling into its mother’s face, he said, “The smile of that baby is prettier than these roses; I will take that too.”

Just then he looked into the house next door and saw a devout mother pouring out her love like the gush of a perpetual fountain, as she stopped to kiss “Good-night” her precious baby. “Oh,” said he, “that mother’s love is the prettiest thing I have seen in all the world; I will take that too!”

With these three treasures he winged his way toward the pearly gates, but just before entering he decided to examine his mementos.

To his astonishment the flowers had withered until they were no longer things of beauty

The baby’s smile had changed into a frown

But the mother’s love retained all its pristine beauty and fragrance.

He threw aside the withered roses and the departed smile, and, passing through the gates, was welcomed by the hosts of heaven that gathered about him to see what he had.

“Here,” said he, “is the only thing I found on earth that would retain its fragrance and beauty all the way to heaven. The sweetest thing in all the world is a mother’s love.”

Mother’s Day is a day where we get to honor the women in our lives that have made a difference.

They have cooked and cleaned for us, even offered their sage advice from time to time

They have been the shoulder to cry on and the best friend to rejoice with

Yet, their worth is not appreciated enough and their importance is quickly forgotten.

In a society where a woman’s identity is being increasingly erased, let’s take time this day to recognize these wonderful women in our lives, and glean some truth from a text that is not commonly brought forth on this day.

In 1 Kings 3:16-28, we see 3 Lessons About Motherhood From An Unlikely Place

Read 1 Kings 3:16-28

A Mother’s Life Is Not Without Flaws

This is not meant to be a discouraging statement, but it is one that we don’t recognize enough.

No one needs to be treated with more tenderness than our mother. Perhaps no one is more caring and conscientious than our mother.

Sometimes we are too hard on them.

Sometimes they are too hard on themselves.

But, returning to the point at hand: A Mother’s Life Is Not Without Flaws.

Did you notice that the two mothers in this story are prostitutes?

They lived in the same house and most likely each conceived through their sinful activities and were clearly outside of God’s will.

We know that one of them is a deceiver and liar, trying to cover up the fact that her baby is dead and she kidnapped the other mother’s baby

The fact of the matter is that Romans 3:23 makes it clear

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

There is no such thing as a greater sin than another, when you look at the fact that we all fall short of that perfect standard set by God

Yes, the fact that these women were prostitutes may be repulsive to most people

Yes, their life choices may cause them to be looked down upon.

However, are you a better person because you are only a liar?

Or only an alcoholic?

Or only an adulterer at heart?

Perhaps lying to your kids and husband is not as bad in your eyes as the sinful life of these two women,

Or perhaps your anger driven outburst is justified in your own eyes

But the fact remains, you still fall short in God’s presence.

Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

There is no amount self-righteousness or covering of sin that will allow us to escape the searching eye of God.

We may be able to fool people, but we are fooling ourselves if we justify our actions by thinking that God will overlook our short-coming.

A Mother’s Problems Are Not Insurmountable

It is no secret that a mother’s work is very stressful and brings about problems left and right.

Children need to be directed in their day to day lives, especially when it comes to cleaning up their toys or room

Children need to be refereed when the bell sounds and Round 12 is starting in the sibling rivalry…at 8:30 in the morning

When you look at the details of this account, the mother of the child is facing a major problem…her son has been kidnapped

She has no way of proving what happened, it is her word against the other mother’s word

Instead of trying to solve this issue on her own, she went to a source of God’s wisdom: King Solomon

God’s wisdom is necessary for carrying out life’s most difficult tasks, and it has been promised to those who have committed their life to Him

James 1:5 (ESV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Matthew 7:24–25 (ESV)

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

There are times that kids have needs that are tremendously difficult to handle. They may have needs like autistic tendencies or Down syndrome.

That’s okay because God has the wisdom to give you for the task.

As you consistently give attention to His Word, the Bible, He will teach you what to do and what to say in every situation.

2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-10

A Mother’s Love Points To A Loving Father

God’s wisdom comes through as Solomon decides to have the child cut in half, knowing that the real mother could not bear to see that happen.

She would rather see her child live and be raised by the deceiving liar than to see her son killed right before her eyes.

That is true sacrifice on the mother’s part.

Maybe you are sitting there thinking, “there is no way a situation like this would occur. Who would, in their right mind, agree to having a baby cut in half?”

That’s exactly the point of this passage, which reveals the wisdom of God through Solomon.

The woman whose baby died was so emotionally distraught and overwhelmed, that she was not processing things properly (i.e. she was acting out of emotion rather than sound reason).

Thus, the reasonable mother would be the one who is willing to give up their child in order to see them live.

Being a good mother requires you to give up some things in the process.

It begins with sacrificing their own body to carry their child for 9 months. Our mothers fed us, nourished and protected us with their own bodies before we even saw the light of day.

It continues with sacrificing precious sleep for midnight feedings or caring for a child that is sick

Or sacrificing personal goals in order to help their children achieve their goals

Ask yourself how many times you got a new outfit and mom wore the same old clothes, or how many times she gave you the last helping at supper.

CONCLUSION

We honor moms for all the giving they do.

They remind us of God who is sacrificial and giving. He loves and gave His only Son for a world of wayward people who hate Him.

That kind of love should not go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Respond to moms with great love and appreciation. And respond in the same way to the God who created motherhood, and give us a tangible example of His love.