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May 2004
Remembering Mothers
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May 2004
Remembering Mothers
May is a very special month. Not only is it a transition time between spring and summer, it has two very special holidays. Both Mother's Day and Memorial Day come to us in May. Each of these two days has its own special emphasis and yet each calls upon us to honor or remember very special people. Today I want to talk about mothers.
Mother's Day is a day of honoring our mothers. It isn't just sentiment that characterizes the celebration of this day; mothers are too valuable in our lives to be reduced to mere sentiment. Mothers are tough, often demanding, and remarkably resilient. They encourage, challenge, and nurture their offspring to be what they were born to be...good people. It is rare to find a mother who does not desire the very best for her children and all other children of the world. In fact, looking at all the conflict in our world, it might just be a good time to put mothers in charge of running our world. I can't envision mothers feeling good about sending our sons and daughters off to war, or mothers creating an environment of violent hate' or allowing despair to become so oppressive that the best solution is to die and kill others in the process. Call me naive but I just can't imagine mothers allowing our world to get in such a destructive mess.
Thinking back upon the way my mother handled her large brood of children, I think she could manage the duties of Secretary of State and still have time to cook family dinner! However, I don't think she would have taken the job if it meant denying her children her own brand of mothering. I wonder if Osama Bin Laden's mother was allowed to really be a mother to him. If so, I suspect she is deeply disappointed as to how he is failing to live the life she wanted for him. I know that had Nina Reed been allowed to be his mother he would known that hurting others was completely unacceptable behavior. He might fail to listen and fail to do as he was taught but I know she would have found a way to hold him accountable for his behavior!
I have been using the word "mother," but in truth I am really acknowledging the importance of nurturing. While nurturing is not a gender exclusive behavior, I do tend to see it most pronounced in women. Also, I am fully persuaded that of all the things we need in our world nurturing is clearly at the very top of the list. Furthermore, I think we can learn effective nurturing from those who are mothers or those who volunteer to take on mothering roles. If we would become nurturers our world would be a far better place and all of the children of the world would most likely turn out to be good people.
This month as we remember or honor our mothers, let's also commit ourselves to becoming a nurturing people. Imagine a world more bent upon nurturing than upon power and personal success. A world like that is beyond just being good for us, it is without a doubt the will of God.
Grace and Peace,
David