Attributes of a Virtuous Mother | Mother’s Day 5779/2019

This is a call for all women—mothers and daughters alike—to receive words of encouragement that have been released to you in this year of 5779/2019. For, we recently celebrated Passover 5779, and as we have learned, the number five represents grace.

If you have a mother in your life—or if you are one—who graciously and humbly steps into this role, let these words offer encouragement to you today. The attributes of a virtuous mother shape her children and the generations that follow.

Have you ever stopped to think, I mean really think, about all that goes into the most blessed job in the world? Yet, with most blessings, we find that there is also a sacrifice that is required.

As a mother, you find yourself sacrificing time, sleep, and resources. You could end up becoming consumed with fear and worry… But when you take up your mantle as a mother and embrace the attributes of a virtuous mother based on the word of God, those sacrifices seem like beautiful gifts because they are shaping lives.

There are many women in the Bible who provide wonderful examples of a mother’s sacrificial love and instruction. The attributes of a virtuous mother that is shown in their stories, teach us how we can train up our own children. Let’s examine how this was manifested in some of the women who are part of the roots of our faith…

A Virtuous Mother’s Love

There is no love like that which a mother has for her child. As a matter of fact, Isaiah suggests that a mother’s love for her child is so well known that it becomes a rhetorical question in the Bible.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?”—Isaiah 49:15

We need not look any further than Mary, Jesus’ own mother, to see the kind of love and respect a mother carries for her son. She is mentioned several times in the New Testament, but the ultimate sign of her love is demonstrated when she stood nearby and watched her own son be crucified.

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”—John 19:25

A virtuous mother’s love reflects that of God—selfless, enduring, and unconditional. Mary endured the hardship of watching her son be crucified—her love and trust in Him staying strong as she watched Him die. Was she remembering Simeon’s words (recorded in Luke 2:35) that “…a sword will pierce through your own soul also…”? And then, hearing her Son—the fullness of selfless Love—direct His words to John to care for His mother.

Love, especially from your mother, is what begins to shape your character and therefore your destiny. In a nutshell, much of what you are or will become can be attributed to your mother’s love. 

Think of it like this… If your mother instills in you a strong sense of family, chances are you will always cherish time with family. If your mother had a burden to pray and serve others, you watched how this shaped her faith and those around her. These attributes are passed on to the next generation. 

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”—Proverbs 22:6

A Virtuous Mother’s Heritage

Family heritage, when preserved, can serve to identify who you truly are—a child of the Most High. Family structure is anything but coincidental. God intricately designed your family tree starting with Adam and Eve. He chose your mother to help guide you to your calling today and in the future.

When you are intentional about obeying God’s callings on your life, big and small, you are honoring the investment that your mother made on your behalf.

This was demonstrated by the story of Moses in the Bible. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, was fearful that Moses would be killed, so she hid him for three months and then made a basket with tar and pitch, placing him in it and laying it among the reeds of the Nile River.

Though this was a great sacrifice for Jochebed, God rewarded her with the unimagined blessing of nursing her own son for the Pharaoh’s daughter and being paid a wage to do so! Jochebed had responded to God with faith and trust and in turn, was rewarded with blessing.

“Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed him.”—Exodus 2:9

Under the loving care of his mother, Moses grew in the knowledge that he was a Hebrew, and he went on to reclaim the blessings of his heritage by ultimately freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

 “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.’”—Exodus 3:7-8

A Virtuous Mother’s Teaching

Virtuous mothers impart wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience as God leads through His Word by the Holy Spirit. When you allow yourself to learn from the advice and experiences of your God-given mother, you are unlocking blessings that He has placed on your life.

“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren.”—Deuteronomy 4:9

While virtuous mothers are anointed by God to pass on wisdom to their children, there is also a calling for children to listen and remember. Lessons learned are not valuable if they are quickly forgotten.

“My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you.”—Proverbs 6:20-22

The Apostle Paul also relates the importance of a virtuous mother’s teaching to Timothy. Though not much is mentioned about Timothy’s mother in the New Testament, we can deduce she was a woman of great faith and that she heeded the instruction in Deuteronomy about passing it on to her generations that followed…

We read that Paul commends Timothy’s mother and grandmother in his second letter to Timothy, writing about their “genuine faith” that has been passed down from one generation to the next.

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”—2 Timothy 1:5

Words of Encouragement for Moms

With surrender comes freedom. Although that sentence sounds contradictory, nothing could be truer. Every mother needs to know that her children belong to God. There comes a time when she must relinquish the care of each child into the care of the Heavenly Father. It is God who gives and sustains life.

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”—Matthew 6:26

Mothers are only temporary caregivers, but that does not diminish the role that they play in the lives of God’s precious children. When you become a mother, God has entrusted you with something valuable to Him, and He knows all things!

Rejoice in the fact that God does not doubt your ability or the ability of His Spirit to guide you through the storms of parenting. You only need to be willing to call out to Him on behalf of your children. His Spirit resides within you and is always ready to intercede on your behalf.

Encouragement for You

The bad news is that everything a mother does willplay a role in the future of her child. Yes, everything! The good news is that God sends the Holy Spirit to help His children stay in alignment with Him.

Alignment allows you to clearly see and utilize the many covenant blessings that you may lay claim to through the blood of Jesus. Just as God gave you a family structure on earth, He has adopted you into His family in heaven. You are grafted into His family olive tree, and He has secured a place for you in His house!

“Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”—Ephesians 1:5

A Christian’s greatest blessing comes in the form of salvation. Still, that blessing came with the great sacrifice of God’s only Son. As you recognize and celebrate what Jesus did for you, don’t forget to rejoice in God’s family design and His blessing of mothers on this Mother’s Day.

 >>>If you are ready to learn more about reclaiming blessings, click here <<<