What Is A Mom?

1 Samuel 1:9–18 NKJV

9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” 12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” 15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” 17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” 18 And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Mother’s Day is a special day. It only comes around once a year. It may be a day that could be taken for granted, I hope not. But for those who long to be a mother, it has incredible loss.

According to the CDC, 6.7 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S. struggle with infertility.

Today, if you are a mother, feel blessed. You are part of the majority. There are 2 billion mothers world wide and 85.4 million mothers in the US. Take a moment and close your eyes. Think of all the women you know. Now think of 13 women are the closest to you. 1 out of 13 women wants to have a baby but cannot for whatever reason.

There are so many people in the world. As of March 2020, there are 7.8 billion people in the world. Of the 7.8 billion population, 2.375 billion are active users of Facebook. By the way, a little side note, parents who are active Facebook users, only 83% are Friends with their children. Think on that one.

Let us take 1 person out of the 2.375 billion people. On average, each active Facebook User has 383 Friends. I am below average because I only have 300 friends. Now Mike has beaten me in this and he is well above the average with 621 friends. Wow. Think about the number of friends you have on Facebook. You may be below the average like me or you may be above the average like Mike. All those friends call you by your given name. But only your children call you “Mother”. Call you “Mom”.

When my children were younger, they thought it was grown up and mature to call me Theresa. I would tell them that I was their mother and they should call me Mom. They would recite the names of other people they had heard call me Theresa and decided they should be able to also. I told them there are 6.7 billion people in the world (as of 2008). If all of them knew me, they would all call me Theresa. Only 3 out of 6.7 billion people can call me mom. That is pretty special. That is a miracle. Think about it. Out of the 7.8 billion people living in the world today, only your children can call you “Mom”. That is amazing.

There are 6.7 million women in the United States alone who would do anything to have a child and to have someone call them mom. I was one of those women. This Mother’s Day message is not just for those who are called mom, but also for those who want to be called mom.

Motherhood is precious to the Lord. We see how God protected Mary and how precious His relationship was with her. Being the mother of the Messiah the Saviour of the world, not only brought her great joy but brought her temporary heartache as well. Motherhood is about the full gambit of emotions. It is about the joy and sorrows. It is also about continually bringing them before the throne of God and seeking wisdom for yourself that you will lead them in the right way. Motherhood is a great responsibility.

Now the scripture was about Hannah not able to have children and desperate to have one. There are many in Hannah’s position today. What do you do when you want to have a baby so badly but cannot. This could be a measure of faith for you or a time of faith building. This is where the rubber meets the road. It is a time when we analyze our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we get so caught up with the blessings and the promises that we place those above serving the Lord. Both blessings and promises are amazing but they are icing on the cake. We need to serve God for who He is not for what we want from Him.

That is why I love the movie “Facing The Giants”. So much about that movie mirrors my own life. I have been where you are now. Wondering if I would ever be called MOM. Will you still serve Him no matter what? Whether you have children or whether you do not.

Movie Clip

The Lord’s answer may be yes, but not yet. The Lord’s answer may be yes, but not in the way you were expecting, so it looked like a no.

What about Lillian Trasher? Her life was all planned out. She was engaged to a minister and she was looking forward to having a family. God called her to Egypt and fiance did not feel called. She had a choice to make. Follow the direction of God and give up her dream of a family or give up the dream and follow God? We know from history what she did. She broke off her engagement and went to Egypt. She went to see a very sick mother who died shortly after they arrived. The grandmother was going to throw the baby in the Nile River. Lillian could not allow that to happen. And thus the orphanage was started which would save the lives of 1200 people.

Was Lillian any less of a mother because these children did not come from her body? No. Will you be that mother to a child that God has put in your life whether that child has come from your body or not? Sometimes God’s will for our life does not look like what we want it to look like. But when we surrender to God’s will, He gives us great joy. We become a mother to those you need one. We love them. We stand up for them. We protect them. Then Mother’s Day is changed for us.

As a mother, we must commit these children to the Lord. We must pledge our lives to pray for them, instruct them in the things of the Lord. We have a great mission before us.

Proverbs 31:26–27 NKJV

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.