A Perfect Parent

We went to a birthday party last night for a lady who turned 99 that day. She is small, reasonably sharp, and said she didn’t like being the center of attention, even though she smiled a lot and enjoyed the hugs and displays of affection from her son, his wife, two of their children plus their spouses and children. She laughed at their antics and loved the pictures sent from more family in far-away places. We laughed too. One grandson wrote in his card for her that she now was out of the double-digits. Another said she was now like Wayne Gretzky, a record-breaking hockey player whose jersey bore number 99.

We also enjoyed seeing the effect of good mothering. The son serves God with all his heart, as do his daughters and their spouses. Those grandchildren, ages 5 to 15 sat at their own table, well-behaved and obviously enjoying one another and obviously loving their parents, grandparents, and their great grandmother who is nearly 100.

Today’s devotional likens the love of God to the love of a good mother. Like a trusting child runs to her for everything from comfort for a bruise to advice about what to do next, the children of God can run to our Heavenly Father and find that He is enough to deal with all our fears and troubles.

I’m feeling the weight of that today. After church, there is an important planning meeting for a non-profit organization that I serve on their board. My concern is a loss of focus that others don't seem to realize. Will I share it and be ignored? Yet I feel compelled to say something. This is scary and I just want to stay home. I keep telling myself that God will be with me and that God is enough, but past experience with this board and their focus keeps nagging the opposite.

Two verses come to mind about the role of mothers and that connect to this meeting and my attitude toward being there. One of these says:

For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)

A good mother could be like the three generations of mothers that we were with last night. The were all happy together, no squabbles and well-behaved. The birthday girl chuckled and said, “We must have done something right.’

It was easy to see that the will of God had been involved in the raising of those families. It speaks to me that this is a key ingredient in all of life, even when involved in things like a secular board meeting that never mentions God. Regardless of how they think, I am still responsible as God’s child to do His will.

The other verse is even more specific. It says:

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (1 Thessalonians 2:7)

A nursing mother remembers that her children need tender care. A wise Christian remembers that those without Christ are unable to discern the will of God and without the power of the Holy Spirit they (and also those who know Christ) are unable to do the will of God. That means treating them with gentle respect, not like stubborn and willfully contrary people, but as what the Bible says they are.

This is helpful, but challenging. It is almost automatic to respond to views that are contrary to the Word of God as being deliberate and self-centered — probably because that describes me when I am contrary to God’s will, but stubborn disobedience is not the same as spiritual blindness. My attitudes need the Spirit’s rebuke, but blindness needs His enlightenment… and that I cannot do.


PRAY: Jesus, I know that You are able to do all things. Today is a test and I feel I’ve flunked before it even begins because I don’t want to go to this meeting. Keep my mind on You and Your gentle way with those who do not know You. May I be totally aware of Your presence with me today, and always thinking that You are enough for all the challenges before me.
Later: God surprises me again. All of the other board members put forth ideas that matched mine. This was not expected by me and joyfully received by the everyone else. Again, God is enough! He also forgives my skepticism!