Being a mother is both demanding and rewarding — it is equivalent to a professional pursuit. Molding minds, healing spirits, nurturing bodies and developing potential — this job can be amazingly productive and rewarding. The results of competent mothering will be passed from generation to generation.
You cannot pay a woman to do what mothers do for free. A mother loses much of her privacy and sometimes experiences radical changes to her entire lifestyle. Children may bring disappointments and sorrows. A mother’s rewards are not materialistic benefits that fade but intangible rewards of blessings and honor that will last through eternity.
A mother who is anchored in her own faith and whose character is settled in her own life is going to be a formidable influence on her offspring. Knowing that someone cares for him and is committed to him above every earthly endeavor gives a child confidence for whatever obstacles he may face and serves as a mooring for him in the storms of life.
The home is the toughest workplace of all with unrelenting and even unreasonable demands. A mother seems to be on call 24 hours a day without a basic wage, much less any overtime. The work may be physically, emotionally and mentally draining — or even boring at times. A mother may not be recognized or thanked for her selfless labor. Mothers who devote their primary energies and creativities and the bulk of their time to rearing their children do indeed work, but they are not paid in dollars and cents. Their rewards rest in the seedbed of their own hearts with lasting memories of their investment in the lives of those whom they love most in the world.
The best present I have given my children has been my presence in their lives from conception until now. The best present they have given me is wrapped up in who they have become, the roles they have taken in their own respective homes and the contributions they are making in the lives of their own families, friends and even with the strangers who cross their paths. They continue to be a joy to my life, and because of their commitment to Christ, they will be my brightest crowns to place at the feet of the blessed Jesus.