Encouragement for Mothers
By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months when he was born, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they weren’t afraid of the king’s orders.
This is one of those blogs I never do - thematic around a particular holiday. I will share this message on Mother's Day - a day traditionally celebrated in our country and especially at church. We thank our mothers, we celebrate motherhood and all that women do from the pulpit. But often these same pulpits are nailed down on stages where women are not welcome unless they are singing a solo, reading a scripture passage, lighting a candle, or begging the congregation to volunteer for vacation bible school or...burn in hell. Too strong? Maybe. But I am not sure that Mother's Day is always meant to be celebrated. Not all mothers deserve our respect; not all women get to be mothers, even though they desperately wish to parent a child. Mother's Day is freaking complicated and I want to acknowledge that reality.
It was complicated in the scriptures too. One of my favorite mothers in the Bible is hardly mentioned - her name is Jochebed. Most of what we know about her is found in Exodus 2 - but her name is not given. Dig deep into one of those genealogical lists that the Bible loves to include and you find her. Daughter of Levi; wife of Amran; mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses.
We may not know her name but surely we remember what she did. She saved Moses, who saved his people - eventually. During the time when the Pharaoh was killing off male children of the Israelites, Jochebed was not afraid. This allowed her to be creative and clever. It turns out that fear stifles both of these traits, thankfully Jochebed was able to hatch a plot to put Moses in a basket, send Miriam down to the river, and create a "chance encounter" with the Pharaoh's daughter, who took Moses and eventually adopted him. My historical research cleared up some confusion about this for me. It turns out that in that time in history, it was not uncommon for someone else to be the primary caregiver of a child until they were around 6. So it is possible that Jochebed not only nursed Moses, but parented him long enough to strongly influence his worldview.
No wonder Moses was reactive when he saw the injustice perpetrated on the Israelites! He understood who he was - he was both the son of an Egyptian Princess and a son of Jochebed. It also makes sense that he has a relationship with Miriam and Aaron. He builds his leadership team around them - his older siblings who he knows and trusts.
Great story. What is my point? Very simple. Mothers matter. Mothers are influential. Mothers do very hard things. Mothers may have periods of time where the fruit of their labor feels under-appreciated and ineffective. Moses was a murderer before he set his people free. Aaron crafted a golden calf and participated in idol worship the second Moses headed up the mountain. Miriam complained and ganged up with Aaron to criticize Moses for marrying poorly. At the end of the day families are messy.
So moms everywhere, may I encourage you? You are more than who your culture might want you to be; yes, your job is hard and you will probably feel inadequate almost every day of your life once you birth a child. But you are a person of influence - I don't care what those kids do in their free time! You are influential regardless of what politicians say or church policy declares. Use your influence for good. Work on you. Be the absolute most healthy, truest you that you can become regardless of whatever is going on around you. Have courage. Be a faithful person - faithful to yourself, your character, your virtuosity. This may require that you stop looking around for validation and instead, gaze steadfastly into a mirror; live a life that you want to see reflected there. There are many obstacles. But let's follow Jochebed. She won against daunting odds and it changed the course of history. Even though her kids were kind of a mess at times. The great thing about life, from my aged perspective, is coming to understand that God is ok with messes. His will still manages to get done. So on this Mother's Day I hope you give yourself a break. If the kids forget to call, if you are grieving the loss of a child or fearing you may never have one, still do you. The most influential women in my life mothered me, even if only one of them birthed me. Find a way women to be influential; the world needs you.
