A WELL OF A HEART

When God created man, He must have spent more time on the woman's heart, stretching it, making it as deep as a well for the heart-arresting issues she would need to contend with later. 

The yawning gap between a man and a  woman becomes really apparent when she becomes a mother.

A mother has a capacity to endure sleepless nights, to nurse, cuddle and burp her newborn baby even through colicky or feverish episodes. Add to that her matter-of-fact attitude when it comes to changing stinky diapers---while the fathers gag at even the prospect of it. 

She has the patience to discipline and coach, to continue teaching and guiding, even if her child is as stubborn  as a mule or unresponsive as a brick. 

And how she prays! Storming heaven's gates like her child were the only person in the whole wide world worthy of God's attention. Her persistence and faith, met with God's grace, are a potent combination.

Add to these the need to attend to day-to-day chores like cooking, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, gardening. Frankly, many moms fail to perform many of these nowadays, especially when most of them have careers outside the home. But mothers nonetheless definitely find ways to get things done, keeping their households orderly with a little help from kasambahays.  

And in rural and economically-depressed areas, one could see mothers carrying pails of water fetched from wells or rivers where they do their laundry. They plant rice or weed their husband's or neighbors'  farms. They cook viands and kakanins and sell them house to house.

Proverbs 31 says that a woman of noble character is worth far more than rubies and that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

Because women have their greater share of emotion than men, they hurt more when their kids take forbidden ways---like when a daughter gets pregnant in her teens or out of wedlock, or when a son gets  trapped in drugs, violence, pornography or gambling. Or when these kids fail in school!

But imagine too a mother's boundless joy when she sees her children following Jesus and reaping blessings as they do.

"Give her the reward she has earned; and let her works bring her praise at the city gates," says Proverbs 31:31.

Oh Jesus, İ pray that your hand would be upon mothers. Whatever they're going through, reach out to them. Comfort, strengthen and surround them with your love, joy and peace. Bring back their children who have taken dangerous paths. Call them in to their mothers and fathers. Remind them of your grace to accept and love them unconditionally. 

Likewise, Lord, bring home those women, who through no fault of their own, or because of wrong choices, have been away from their husbands and children. Restore families. Repair and mend broken relationships.  Give parents and children brand new hearts to start anew in Jesus Christ. Amen!

Photo credits: smashingmagazine.com, feronia.com, bandagedear.com