Happy Mother’s Day!
By Paul Bawden
In the midst of a crazy mixed-up world, we celebrate Mother’s Day.
There is no doubt that Mom is a female, with chromosome XX, who normally has become pregnant through a physical relationship with her husband and has given birth to a child. Such began way back in history with Adam and Eve, and has been happening ever since.
Moms are amazing individuals. A Mother is on call 24/7, which totals 168 hours a week or 8,706 hours per year. Multiply that amount by 18 years, assuming a child lives at home that long, and a Mother has put in 156,708 hours in her household. If she were paid $15-20/hour for her “labor of love,” her salary per year would be $130,000-$175,000. I’m sure any Mother would be more than willingly to receive that kind of salary for her efforts.
Then, there are all the meals a Mother cooks . If she prepares 2 meals a day, that’s 14 meals a week, 628 meals a year, and over 18 years that’s 11,304 meals prepared. No wonder Mothers are such good cooks, practice makes perfect.
At the same time, consider how many diapers a Mother changes from when a child is born to when the child becomes trained. Conservatively speaking, she may change around 3,000 diapers. Or how many books has a Mother read to her children? Or how many questions has she answered? Or how many hours has she spent in the nursery at her place of worship?
Yes, Mom, you are truly amazing. We pause and honor you this month of May for who you are and for all that you do. But we also honor you for the tremendous influence, as a Christian Mom, you bring to your family. Your example is powerful. That’s why the saying still stands, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
Thanks to Moms, as well, who have adopted children to give them a new life or taken in children from their families to give them the help they need. Thank you to the single Moms who do double duty. We pray for Moms who are lonely for they are not able to hug the baby they once carried. Then, we pray for Moms who have children who have wondered away from the Lord that they claimed as their Savior.
We thank Moms who have given their sons and daughters in sacrifice so that our country can remain free. For any who have experienced abortion, we pray for their healing and restoration. May they also find the strength to join the growing chorus of those who speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.
I think of my Mom who lived to be 104, my wife’s mother who lived to 93, and then my wife, the mother of our three daughters, they served their children with sacrificial love investing their lives in them, giving them the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest, while providing them the eternal foundation for living – faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, the Bible, in Proverbs 31:10-31 pays tribute to the excellent Mom who has her faith in the Lord, the most important part of her life. We rise up, Mom, and call you blessed! To all Moms – Enjoy the day! Happy Mother’s Day!!
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.