“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time.” (Neal A. Maxwell)
Dear moms, and especially moms of young children,
Do you know how important, valuable, beautiful, and needed you actually are? Honorable mothers are God’s secret weapon. Never let the adversary or the world tell you otherwise.
Instead, please see the quote that began this article, and add this one:
“Mothers are the moving instruments in the hands of Providence to guide the destinies of nations...Mothers are the machinery that gives zest to the whole man, and guide the destinies and lives of men upon the earth...” (B. Young)
Wow.
We can sense the impressive, true power of mothers somewhere deep inside. Even if we were not blessed with a wonderful mother, we may realize that God tried to send “other mothers” to be examples of good for us.* And If we were blessed with a solid, good mother, we consider her influence continually.
Motherhood is a power as real as light. And the best moms are filled with the light of love and peace that emanates originally from God (even if they are not aware of this connection).
The challenging thing is that we know that wherever there is potential for good, opposition will soon be tagging along. Everything has it’s opposite. Have adversarial forces tried to push back against the power of good mothers? Author Pat Holland has said “If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full-blown blitz on women.” What do you think? Do you get the feeling that blitz is in full play? I’m thinking of “Mommy wars” body-image issues, attacks on self-esteem, the “war on women”, pornography, the list goes on. I think we’re in the thick of it. And when women are under attack, motherhood gets hit with societal shrapnel.
There are also subtle voices in the world that suggest “Mothering is not that big of a deal; it’s not that important.” But those voices ring hollow when we listen to more harmonious voices that echo heavenly melodies:
“Motherhood is the job for which all other jobs exist”. “ (C.S. Lewis)
“Mothers can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship.” (D. Todd Christopherson)
For some reason, that last quote makes me want to nag our many children. I know, logically, that nagging isn’t the best way to get them to do things. I think he’s talking about example, gentle persuasion, love unfeigned and all of that....but please excuse me whilst I send a group email to our kids asking them all if they are getting enough Vitamin D....O.K. I’m back.. ;D
The mother is the heart of the home. Sometimes she feels like the liver of the home: filtering societal toxins. Or she may feel like the pancreas of the home, trying to deal with all the sticky, sugary stuff trying to enter. But usually she’s the heart. And she’s aware of the heart of everyone who lives there.
Not every child will turn out the way we hope, at least at first. Free agency can get in the way of our mothering (and fathering) ambitions for our children. But the good news is that if we try hard to set worthy examples for them, they often return to the values we hold dear, either in this life or the next. We are all creating our lives. And sometimes it takes a large swath of life to create what we don’t want so we can step back and say “Now I know for sure that this is what I don’t want.” This is usually followed by “I am ready to create a new way of living. I am ready to create what my good parents (and some would add, my heavenly parents) wanted for me all along.” As parents, this process may seem to be taking forever. But life is short. Prodigals return. Love is eternal. Celebrations are ahead. Hug more. Maybe try to worry less.
God counts on mothers (and fathers-article coming for you men next month) because the family is the smallest unit of society and lots of peaceful families add up to a more peaceful world. God wants to to work up from the cellular “soul-ular” level of humanity. That’s where family is.
The story is told of a man who was trying without success to put together a map of the world. In frustration, he left his den and took a phone call. As he began to return to the room, from a distance he could see the puzzle. It was complete. His young son called out: “I finished your puzzle, Dad!”
“How did you do that, son?”
“It was easy, Dad. There was a picture of a family on the other side. I just put the family together and the world fell into place.”
Home can feel like be safest, kindest place in all the world. Or not. Mothers wield tremendous influence in this regard. Remember, you are a gift from God to the whole world. You are loved by unseen angels and a God who is real.
Heaven is cheering you on.
*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5904b102e4b084f59b49f975