Praising Our Mothers

“She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”

                                                Proverbs 31:25-29

Mother’s Day in 2020 will undoubtedly be celebrated a little differently than it has before given the precautions over social gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That being the case, the opportunity to honour mothers is still valid, perhaps more so now than ever before. From the working mom that now has to add homeschooling to the fold, to the grandmother in a care home deprived of family visits, the sense of isolation for each can be equally damaging.

The “Proverbs 31 woman”, coined after the description of a wife of noble character in the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, sets an example of what a good mother is capable of, including some lofty expectations that may unintentionally cause some woman to feel defeated.

“Who can do ALL that?” some may exclaim.

In the Marriage Course, which Coastal Church has the opportunity to offer completely online, couples are reminded to strengthen their emotional connections by constant affirmation of each other. The need for acknowledgement and encouragement by a wife from her husband, by a mother from her children, can be so easily given yet difficult to come by.

She clothes, she instructs, and she watches over her household … and they bless and praise her in return (Proverbs 31:28-29). “Mom, what you do surpasses them all!” These are words that will not go idle in a mother’s heart.

The constant struggle of many mothers is their sense of inadequacy – the repeated feeling that they are not a good mom, or not good enough anyways. The culture of comparison has only exacerbated the unsolicited pressure to decorate the perfect-looking house, prepare the perfect-tasting meal, or the raise the perfect-acting children.

As mothers all over the world are responding to the current health crises with their desire to nurture the physical well-being of their families, let’s respond by doing our part to nurture their emotional well-being by praising them in return. As a husband and a son, I am blessed to have amazing mothers in my life that deserve more praise than I have given at times.

So even if you are not able to celebrate with your mother in person over a meal this Mother’s Day, the words of affirmation and praise from her husband and children can ensure that her heart will be filled. That could be her best meal yet!