If there is a greater experience upon this earth than fatherhood, it must be that of motherhood. When God created man and woman, he created them so that, like the plants and animals of the earth, they could reproduce themselves. God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." When God gave that command, he brought this thing that we call motherhood into existence, and Eve experienced it at the time she gave birth to her firstborn son, Cain. I don't know what kind of a mother Eve was, but she brought the man into the world from whom the very Son of God would descend. Therefore, mothers should be honored!

Mothers should also be honored because, like Eve the mother of us all, they gave us the life that we have upon this earth. It is true that fathers begot us, but it is the mother who carried us in her womb, and then gave birth to us, making it possible for us to have life upon this earth. That means that we are blood of their blood, flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone! The mother to child relationship is the closest one on earth. It was through what the Bible calls "the travail" of their bodies that they brought us here to live peaceable and loving lives.

After we have been conceived and born into this world, the work and responsibility of a mother does not end. We should honor her for the innumerable hours spent in rearing us to honorable adulthood. That takes work, and beginning about age two, we begin to resist that work. As children, we frankly told her "No." But all the while, she was gently moving us toward "Yes!" Whatever we have, or are today, we owe to the labor of a devoted mother. Her devotion was such that she put us first, and many mothers have gone without, not luxuries, but things that they needed just to see that their children had all she could provide for them. How right it is that she should be honored and loved.

Mothers should be loved and honored because they make the difference between a house and a home. Houses may be splendid so far as architecture, planning and appointment are concerned, or they may be humble cottages along the wayside, but if those houses are inhabited by a family who enjoys the love and devotion of a godly mother, then they are homes, and homes are of much greater value than houses. Mother is the light of the home, and when, in the course of time, that light goes out, shadows fall over the home and someone is gone that can never be replaced. And other lives may be profoundly influenced for eighty or more years by a mother who made a house a home.

When God appointed the mother as "a keeper at home," he appointed her to the greatest work that can be done on earth. Only that which is done to save an immortal soul could be laid along side the work that a mother does in the home. She deserves to be honored and loved because she is a keeper at home, and not disdained because she is not a "career woman." Believe me when I tell you that a woman who keeps a well ordered home is a "career woman!" And the career she has chosen may well determine, not only the values and ethics of her children, but the eternal dwelling place of the souls of her children. She deserves to be loved and honored! In the home, she is the primary caretaker, the primary teacher and the first line of defense; therefore, she ought to be honored! Timothy had been converted to Christ and became a great worker for the Lord because of the faith he had inherited from his mother, and which she also had inherited from her mother (2 Timothy 1:5)!

Mothers are loyal people. I cannot think of the number of times I have seen a mother show her loyalty to a son or daughter who did not seem to have time for her. What a travesty! Oh, yes, occasionally we read of a mother who throws a baby away, or otherwise harms her child or children, but these are extremely rare events when one places them alongside those mothers who give their all to show their loyalty to children and husband. Sometimes that loyalty is shown to thankless children and husbands, but that should never be, because mothers deserve our honor, love and loyalty. A good son or daughter best shows his loyalty to his mother by reflecting the goodness, gentleness and love that is within her. Nothing brings greater honor to a loving and righteous mother than to behold love and righteousness in her children.

 When David wanted to express the deepest grief that any man can feel, he said, "I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns his mother." Why would he say something like this? Because the greatest loss one suffers in this life is the loss of his mother. It is more than just "strange" that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law sometimes do not get along when they both claim to love the same man. A good son does not want to forget to honor and love his mother, while at the very same time he loves and honors his wife. The real man can do this, and the wife and mother should allow him to do so. One may not be able to buy precious gifts for his mother, but year around, he can give her the greatest gifts that can be received, and those are love and honor! "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:1-3).