The Footsteps of Jesus   

Perhaps you’ve heard the name David Finkelstein. There’s a Jewish comedian by that name, and there was also a physics professor at Georgia Institute of Technology by that name. One of them once told a story you may recognize about a mother who had three notoriously unruly sons. (I’m sure none of you have unruly children, but maybe you can still appreciate this.) Anyway, one time this mother was asked whether or not she’d still want to have children if she had it to do over again. “Oh yes,” she replied. “But not the same ones.”

Mothers are special and probably under-appreciated given the enormity of their tasks and responsibilities. Proverbs 31:10-12 speaks about an excellent, godly, hard-working woman. The writer says, “Her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

I came across a study that determined that women who never have children enjoy the equivalent of more than 4 extra months a year in leisure time. It said that the average mother spends 3.5 more hours a week doing housework than would a woman without children, plus 11 hours a week on child-related activities. This adds up to an additional 754 hours of work every year, which is the equivalent of 19 40-hour work weeks.

You may have also heard about the four-year-old and the six-year-old who presented their Mom with a house plant for Mother’s Day. They had used their own money, and she was thrilled. The older of them said with a sad face, “There was a bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop, but it was too expensive. It was real pretty, and it had a ribbon on it that said, ‘Rest In Peace.’ We thought it would be just perfect for you since you’re always asking for a little peace so that you can get some rest.”

I know we all appreciate those women and mothers who work so hard to be a blessing to their families and others. As much as we appreciate all that they do, the most important thing a mother can do (that any of us can do) is to be a good godly spiritual influence.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” All of us, mothers, fathers, children of God, all of us are to shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15), letting all those in our homes and in the world around us see Christ living in us. The way you live your life is going to have an influence on other people. Make sure you are walking in the footsteps of Jesus, because someone else may very well be walking in yours.