Mother’s Day, 21st Century
“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
When my son was three, he rode in a car seat in the back of our old Ford Tempo and gave me rapid-fire orders about my driving. “Mommy, I want to go see a train. Mommy, why did you go through that yellow light? Mommy, go back, I want to see that car. Mommy, turn right to go to the store. Mommy….”
After enduring this for a while, I finally had enough and set him straight.
“Alex, Mommy is in charge. Someday, you’ll be old enough to be in charge, but right now that’s my job.”
His little voice responded, a bit more wistfully. “Yes…someday, I will be in charge of the remote control.”
That was long ago and far away in the last century. I’ve been a mom for more than 30 years, and it’s been a great ride…a hair-raising, brain-hurting, heart-breaking, nail-biting, and teeth-clenching rollercoaster trip…but with so many wonderful moments along the way. I’m not in charge anymore, but I count myself blessed that my grown kids still communicate with me.
Mother’s Day has changed quite a bit over those years. The celebration used to conjure up a Norman Rockwellian image of a matronly woman setting fine china plates on a Sunday lunch table. Flowers, chocolate candy, and scripted cards accompanied an idyllic scene of well-mannered, neatly dressed children eagerly eyeballing a perfectly crimped-crust apple pie.
But, like my kids’ childhood days, that all went “poof” decades ago. Moms today want to celebrate by dining out at a restaurant. Flowers or chocolates are still de rigueur, but modern moms seem more interested in a gift certificate to a local spa. Not a bad thought.
Blended families make things more complicated now, too. Dad and mom roles are fractured and continue to shift; expectations become a moving target. Some of that is good, to refine marriage and strengthen it…but not when it adds anxiety to an already disquieted generation of children.
The real problem nowadays, however, is the lack of value placed on motherhood. Women—even some Christian women—have bought into the notion that it’s akin to backwoods culture, that it can easily be postponed, and that a rocketing career is much more fulfilling. Birth control and abortion make pregnancy sound like an unwanted disease.
None of that is true or realistic. I’ve had the “glam career,” a late marriage, infertility. Yet, by the grace of God, my husband and I are blessed with two marvelous children by birth and adoption. I’m so grateful to be their mom.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to wear the mantle of motherhood, even full-time. We have God’s specific commandment in Genesis 1 to be fruitful and multiply; He has planted that desire firmly in our hearts and genetic programming. While men desire children, too, there’s a deeper emotional level for us women because it’s part of our DNA and chemical responses.
Children are truly a reward from God. But it’s not because of anything we’ve done to deserve them. He gives us these beautiful gifts because we are His children first.
And, children are greatly to be desired because they are the pinnacle of all of God’s gifts to us. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (James 1:17-18)
It’s never selfish when we ask God to bless us with gifts that will draw us closer to Him, that will cause us to serve Him and seek His counsel, that will drive us more often to our knees before Him, that will give us constant obligation to praise and thank Him. Children will do all those things.
We must always ask, however, according to His will. When we submit ourselves completely to His plans for us, He sometimes gives us closed doors…or doors we weren’t expecting. He also gives us the right heart for parenting, as a means of serving Him and not ourselves.
This year, let’s revise our thinking about Mother’s Day, relinquishing selfish thoughts and recognizing God’s generosity. Let’s see the value of motherhood as a blessing and means to serve Him. Let’s pray for our children, to keep us grounded in gratitude to Him.
Jesus Christ’s great commission to us is to go and make disciples of all nations. We can certainly start in our own homes as moms and grandmoms…in our churches as children’s teachers…in our neighborhoods as loving helpers to come alongside young moms.
My prayer for you is that God will bless you richly in whatever role of motherhood He bestows upon you…and that He will keep you in His loving hands every moment of the ride.
O Holy Father, You are indeed the Father of Lights, in Whom no secret is hidden. I praise You for Your generous spirit, for being my Jehovah Jirah Provider. Prompt me to ask, seek, knock. But give me Your Holy Spirit of faith, that I may trust in Your perfect will…wisdom, that I may be prudent in asking for the right things…patience, that I may wait for what is best…love, that I may be generous. Let me never take children for granted; they are precious jewels in Your sight. Provide me with the love, patience, and desire to raise them as Jesus-followers, too. Let my resolve to praise You in everything be unwavering. In Your Son’s name I pray, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #mother’sday #motherhood #mom #pregnancy #children #childhood #fulltimemom
