Mother And Child
Into a precious vessel, God pours tenderness and love, an understanding heart, and all the joy a child dreams of; God gives her His Compassion; and a kindness like no other then wraps her in a quiet strength and gently calls her mother –
Bonnie Jensen, Senior Writer, Day Spring Cards.
Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14).
Mother & Child is like a balanced diet. The importance of a Balanced Diet cannot be over-emphasized. Good nutrition enhances sound health for mother and child. Our Children are our future. The human generation must watch out for the continued existence of healthy Children for the future of a Nation. The Youths have rendered valuable contributions to the struggle for liberation and National development of Nations. The Youths still constitute a reservoir of energy and dynamism for any National Struggle if they are correctly nourished, guided, mobilized, and fully integrated into the nation’s social fabric.
A child is vital to a family and a nation for continuous existence. Enemies can destroy a country without warfare equipment if their little ones are killed and eradicated and if new ones are not allowed to be born by ensuring the infertility of child-bearing adults. A nation blessed with healthy children has a great future.
It is imperative and vital that one understands the role of women deeply and what makes a woman Worthy of Being Called A Mother. Without a doubt, we have some single mothers who have done creditably well in raising their children. Also, not all children from broken homes have become riff-raffs or undesirable societal elements. But a role model woman must imbibe the Scriptural and moral principles in her child. Abraham Lincoln once said that all he was or has been could be credited to his mother. We know about the Wesley brothers – Charles and John; and their mother’s role in their Christian faith, the output well celebrated in Christendom today. Great Presidents of Nations, Successful Doctors, Theologians, Lawyers, Engineers, Architects, Priests, Trade Unionists, Business Men, etc., all have mothers that molded them.
Scientifically it has been proved that boys take their mothers’ intelligence or otherwise. It means that even drug pushers, drug users, riff-raffs, criminals, armed robbers, etc., also have mothers that failed to mold them in the right direction. My simple question is; what kind of mother are you? I have studied the role of mothers and, of course, virtuous women deeply. My conclusion is “God bless Mothers .”No other word can aptly describe what mothers do and suffer for their children. The writer of the song ‘Sweet Mother’ captured the essence of motherhood.
To me, a mother is a biological pot with seeds planted and germinated to become the fetus that turns into a baby.
No human being can be born without a mother. No soul is born into this world without the passage of a mother. Such is the uniqueness of a mother designed by God. The ties between a mother and a child surpass the tying of the umbilical cord. At least for a minimum of seven months, a child lives in the comfort of the mother’s womb, nourished and fed by the mother.
Since the creation of Eve, women have played vital roles in the plans and purposes of God in the world. Women were and are still vessels of transformation in God’s vineyard and source of inspiration to men. The status of women in early Christianity has been quite debated in recent decades; no doubt, it prompted the interest in the women’s movement in Western Countries today. I think the evidence is somewhat mixed. In Paul’s letters, he greets women and calls them co-workers. Paul referred to one of them by a Greek word that means “deaconess .”The earliest Christian communities met in people’s houses because no churches existed. Women owned the houses where the early Christians met, which is very significant because they provided not only coffee and cookies; they were prayer warriors and saw the believers’ spiritual development. Children of the house, therefore, are quickly taught apostolic doctrines.
The Apostolic mothers and wives (those that lived at the time of the apostles or immediately after) were more involved in pastoral care and counseling than Church planting or evangelical outreaches like today’s Pentecostal women. Their contributions were more towards the development and growth of the individual, especially the youths within the believer community. They were involved in consultation, deliberation, and exchange of ideas. Their Christian call was to care for the brethren’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. These women helped uplift spiritual ecstasy and assisted those in need and spiritually poor. They brought the principles of God’s word to bear upon human problems. The stories of these Christian women and their various contributions to pastoral care and counseling will delight any Christian. They are highly commended for their various services to God and humanity. They are role models to today’s young women. These women showed unique love in their services and displayed exemplary character.
Leaving undone what should be done has left today’s children exploited, beaten, punished, taken advantage of, manipulated, neglected, and abused till their integrity is impaired. The children in this hostile environment cannot express their pains and anger and are compelled to suppress their feelings and the memory of the trauma. This suppression finds a window of escape in criminality; destructive acts against others or themselves, like drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, murder, assassination, psychic disorders, suicide, and other criminal behaviors. If you are not brought up with love, you will find it difficult to show or exhibit love. A parent that was abused as a child will often direct acts of revenge against his children. It becomes a vicious cycle of abuse. A child needs an adult to believe in them. A child needs protection and loves, not maltreatment.
Society needs to wake up to its roles and stop blaming the victim but the abuser. So far, society has protected the adult against the child. It is in keeping with the traditional pedagogical principles of our great-grandparents, that viewed children as crafty creatures dominated by wickedness. That has also contributed to the children blaming themselves for their parents’ cruelty and absolving them of all responsibility because they love their parents. Thanks to scientific development. It is known that a child responds to and learns tenderness and cruelty from the womb. New parents are learning to treat their babies well from the beginning, which might end the perpetuation of violence from the new generation. Those whose integrity was not damaged in childhood, who were protected, loved, respected, and treated with honesty by their parents, will also grow up intelligent, responsive, empathetic, loving, kind, and highly sensitive. They will not tend to hurt anyone but rather respect and protect those weaker than themselves. They will be in a position to handle intimidation in their adult life.
Parental watchfulness is essential in getting outsiders not to abuse their children. Parents are to protect their children from Internet abuse in the form of sexual chatting on the net. Innocent children are lured into this unknowingly. A mother must advise her child never to give personal information on the net. Disbelief and distrust come between mother and child when you don’t communicate and are far apart. Your child should be able to talk to you. Do not play God to the detriment of your child; even God loves and cares for children to come closer. The economic situation does not help the matter. It makes both parents involved in the rat race leaving their children to themselves, house helpers, or at the mercy of neighbors. Some parents have expressed their frustrations with their children, subjecting them to inhuman treatment. Some mothers have sent their children on errands bigger than their abilities, and failure of accomplishment on the children’s part results in physical abuse. We must learn to show and demonstrate love to our young ones. It takes only love to make children truly happy, and it is our duty as parents to do this.
There is the ecstasy of motherhood as a child is put in the mother’s arms for the first time. At that moment, a new passion arises in the heart, and new resolves compelled the soul; to shield, defend, educate, help, love, and teach to love–all these are included in that first embrace. The compulsion of the child’s helplessness is a supreme motive for a mother. When a child is hurt, emotionally or physically, they instinctively want to be lifted and embraced by their mother’s arms. By God’s design, a mother is blessed with a love that nurtures, heals, protects, and comforts. In God’s Sovereignty, He gave a promise to go with the tremendous responsibility of motherhood: “…He gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11d).
There is a gentle leading from the hand of God for all the strength, patience, forgiveness, and sacrifice that being a mother requires. Along with His faithful guidance to us as mothers, He promises to sustain and protect us daily. We can communicate the unconditional love, compassion, and protection our children need through our dependence on Him. When our children reach for the safety of our arms, they seek the love and comfort of their heavenly Father—the One who has promised to carry, guide, protect, sustain, and gently lead us in our calling. Our children belong to God, yet through motherhood, He has placed them in our care. The responsibility is beautiful and priceless. To the honorable women who have been called to care for the hearts and spirits of Children, I pray that God’s strength will be yours, His love will flow through you, and His gentle leading will comfort your hearts each day. As you continue to give, may your children learn more about the love of God in simple and heartfelt ways.
‘GOD BLESS MOTHERS. ‘
