My wife, a mother

Today, we celebrate my wife's day... Mother's Day! So this post today is dedicated to my lovely wife, the mother of our two kids. I met her some 6 years ago at our work place. Fell in love with her and never actually recovered from that! I proposed to her whilst flying back from New Zealand (where I had the opportunity to get acquainted with her family in Auckland - they migrated there back in the early 90's) and to my relief, she said yes. Else, can you imagine how extremely awkward it would be to sit next to her for the next 10 hours!!! I took a risk... don't we all? Thank God!

We got hitched in May 2001 i.e. registered officially and had our church blessing on 07-07-2001. This we consider our Wedding Day. So after a few months into our marriage of togetherness, we were 'delighthed' to discover that we had begun the process of "populating the world"! Aren't we obedient to God's Word? (If you do not know what that means, ask your mummy or daddy!!). This delight was mixed with a bit of apprehension at first as in 9 months time, we would have 'upgraded' our status from Mr & Mrs to Mummy & Daddy! But praise God when our little bundle of joy appeared, we were truly blessed! Josh is a lovely boy.

The Motherhood process began for my wife, actually well before the delivery date as she was reading lots and lots and (I mean) lots of books on mothering! She was rather well prepared for Josh. The changing of diapers, breast feeding, washing up teats & bottles, preparation of baby foods, washing cloth nappies, bathing the baby, cleaning toys, waking up in the middle of the night when the baby cries, watching over the baby's temperature when he was unwell; all this became routine! She learned fast and coped, with a lot of adjustments.

So, with about 2 years of practise on the first kid, Jess decided it's 'time' to show herself to the world. On 31st March 2004 (shy of a day to April's Fool - smart girl), Jess came into the world. So a mother's work is never done... 'cos the changing of diapers, breast feeding, washing up teats & bottles... (you get the picture) cycle started!

Boys are different from girls (I mean apart from the obvious - if you have to ask your mummy or daddy what that means, I personally think you are too young to be reading Uncle's blog!!); they are different temperament wise. So mothering them requires techniques that need to be learned and mastered. Bringing up children is not an easy task and may seem very unrewarding at times! She has done well so far... we love her!

So if I were to reflect on this now and think "Can I do this without her?" (besides the obvious of conceiving children!) the obvious answer would be "No!". I liked what our pastor preached this morning in church and here are the sermon notes. Mothers are a special breed, so with this sermon to end my post, I would like to say, Have a Blessed Mother's Day!

Click the podcast icon and see what you hear!

*********************************

Roles of a Mother
14th May 2006

1. They are predestined to fulfill God's plan and purpose for mankind

- Gen 1:28

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

- Gen 3:20

20 Adamc named his wife Eve,d because she would become the mother of all the living.

- Deut 7:14, Luke 1:42

14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young.

42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

- Gen 25:23

23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

2. They provide support and stability to their husband

- Gen 2:18, this was God's idea to provide man with a companion

3. Because of their steadfast love for their children

- two examples from the Bible :

(i) Hannah's love for Samuel (1 Samuel 2:18, 26)

18 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

(ii) Rizpah's love for her sons (2 Samuel 21:10, 13-14)

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.

13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.