My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

Proverbs 6:20

It might surprise you to know that the book of Proverbs has quite a bit to say about mothers specifically, and women in general and not just in the 31^st chapter. And a vast majority of the verses surround the essential truth that mothers are tremendously important to their children’s growth and welfare and this applies to a mother’s influence on both daughters and sons! Thus, a mother’s success or failure in her own home directly coincides with the undeniable truth that the cumulative effort of mothers impacts society and culture either for good or for not so good. Our modern culture downplays the vital role of mothers in homes and society at large, but God’s Word does not!

I think Solomon would agree with the southern adage; “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”

And so, the question bears asking, how to keep Mama happy? Surely history and our own mother experiences can shed light on this question. From a personal vantage point, each of us can give individual testimony in regard to our relationships with our moms. 

You may not have ever known your mom either through adoption or through her death in your early years. My daughter is an adopting mom and this has given such joy and fun and fulfillment within our family. She loves her son ‘to the moon and back’ as the saying goes. And, she also knows that someday he may wish to meet his birth-mom and they will walk through that season…together. Adoption is a beautiful and biblical choice that comes with its own complexities for child and parents. 

I do not have experience of growing up without any mom and cannot fathom the vacuum that leaves within a child. I can only surmise from documented stories and clinical studies both secular and Christian, that growing up without any mom is massively complex. No doubt grandmothers and aunts and stepmoms all dive in to fill that vacancy to some degree. But, it can never be completely filled as a critical and golden thread in the child’s life is stubbornly missing. These challenges do not doom a child to failure. On the contrary, many famous and thriving adults grew up without their mothers. J. R. R. Tolkein, Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jim Thorpe and Barbara Stanwyck are just a few of the famous people you may recognize that impacted their generations without the influence of a mother.

Most of us, however, have been blessed with our birth-moms involvement in our lives from birth to this very day that I am writing this post whether we want to acknowledge our mother or not. Even though my mother was called to Jesus back in 2007, her influence for good or for the not so good is still with me. It is something that cannot be erased. It can be cherished. It can be cursed at. It can be overcome, as needed, and hopefully forgiven. But, it can even be forgotten. A mother’s influence cannot be expunged! 

Just think of the innumerable emotions that invade every person on Mother’s Day! We can commit to not let that one day a year ruin…well…just about everything because she is gone from our lives. We can determine to plow forward and ignore all the “not so good” influence of our moms. We can manage to make everything about that one special day a year…extra special! But we will not be able to quell completely the waves of emotions that flow in and out of our souls on that one day. Why?

Because our mothers are the bedrock of who we were, who we are now and who we will become! And God knows that! And He actually designed life cycles with that foundation in mind. 

And that is why we will spend 31 Days in Proverbs as one of our word studies this year…All About Mothers!