The Mothers of the Bible

She speaks wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household…her children arise and call her blessed…Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.  Proverbs 31:26-29 selected

My earliest memories of Mother’s Day include the white or red roses that ladies wore to church, pinned to their lapels on Sunday morning.  A red rose was worn to honor a mother who was living, a white rose was worn to honor a mother who had stepped into eternity.  So one of our annual rituals was for me to go out early Sunday morning, and find five red roses on a scrubby little bush that I kept for just that purpose. 

We don’t keep that tradition any more.  But I have reflected on what my grandmother passed along to my mother, and my mother passed to me, and I have passed along to my two daughters, and now my daughter is passing along to my three granddaughters.  What has been passed along from generation to generation among the women of my family is a strong, personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Coupled with a strong faith has been an unflinching commitment to live out what we believe on the anvil of our everyday experience.  We smile as we refer to ourselves as “Old Testament Women,” or, as has been described by some of the secularists of our day, we are “Evangelical Feminists.” We are women who are strong, bold, free-spirited leaders inside and outside of our homes, unashamed of our faith in God, His Word, His Son, and His Gospel.

Old Testament Women are rooted in the Bible, beginning with Eve, who was given equal dominion over the earth with Adam; Sarah, whose faith, along with that of her husband, Abraham, was extraordinary, enabling her to bear a son at 90 years of age-a son who became one of the Patriarchs of the Jewish people; Hagar, a single mother who had a personal relationship with God and raised her son, Ishmael, to become the father of many nations; Rahab, whose bold, courageous act of faith saved her entire household from God’s judgment;Ruth, who committed herself to support her mother-in-law, leaving everything behind to begin a new life and became the great-great grandmother of King David; Deborah, who was so bold in battle, the generals would not face the enemy without her; Jael, who single-handedly defeated an enemy none of the generals had been able to overcome;  and on it goes until we come to the Virgin Mary, singled out by God for her purity, integrity, piety, and humility to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ…and Mary Magdalene, a woman with a sinful past, who was commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus Christ Himself to be the first evangelist to the world.

This Mother’s Day, choose to be an Old Testament Woman. Sink the roots of your faith down deep in God’s Word. Be someone who knows what you believe.  Then live it out. Set the example for your children of a mother who is strong in your convictions, bold in your actions, courageous enough to stand up and speak out for Jesus Christ, while reflecting Him in your character. Your children will rise up and call you blessed!

 Anne Graham Lotz, founder of AnGeL ministries, has proclaimed God’s Word worldwide for more than 30 years. Her newest book, Wounded by God’s People, is available at AnneGrahamLotz.com.