The Glue of Society

Johann Christoph Arnold
for Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009

Thank God for mothers! Mother’s Day is an opportunity to make life special
for them. It is a chance to celebrate family. I thank God for my mother,
who died some years ago. There is one thing I regret: for too many years I
did not appreciate her enough and took her for granted. She was always
there for us. I thank God for my wife. We have been married for
forty-three years and have eight children. God has blessed us with
forty-one grandchildren.

Mothers are the backbone of our society and the glue that holds a family
together-their work is vital but often unseen. We all need to show greater
appreciation for them. I pity the man who does not have a good wife to
take care of him.

My favorite Hasidic saying goes, “God could not be everywhere at once, so
he gave each child a mother!” Mothers should be proud to be mothers. It is
a God-given task and privilege. Actually there is a mother’s heart in
every woman, whether married or single. In the past, motherhood was
regarded as the noblest calling of a woman. Today it is too often pushed
aside by more “desirable” occupations such as careers, and seen as an
inconvenience or even an embarrassment.

A true mother thinks day and night about the well-being of her children,
and is the first to praise, comfort and protect them. She is willing to
sacrifice her life for them. The pains of pregnancy and childbirth are
borne by the mother, and she continues to carry the child in her heart her
whole life.

Motherhood is a mystery. It is something truly divine for which every
human heart longs. This is why mothers provide the most powerful influence
on a child’s life, and are the most important role models for positive
change in our society. When anyone is in trouble, or knows that they are
dying, the first person they think of is their mother. When children start
going wrong ways a mother’s prayer is powerful. Mothers remind us that
there is a loving God above us who will take good care of everyone,
especially children. Whenever a tragedy occurs-no matter where in the
world this happens-you will always find mothers both weeping for the dead
and bringing comfort and security to the living.

As we seek to improve the education of our children, let us start by
taking better care of our mothers. This will enable them to provide better
homes for all of us, and ensure the survival of our society. Never before
in our history have so many men abandoned the children they fathered.
Fathers are vanishing from their children’s lives, not just physically,
but legally as well. Therefore, congratulations to all single mothers and
grandmothers who do their best to raise children on their own. They often
struggle under the most difficult circumstances. They are the real heroes
of the family-and not just on Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!

[ Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor and author of ten books, which are
available at www.plough.com .]