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Mother's Day Message You'll Never Forget!
Today, God would have us go
to the animal kingdom to get a picture of two different types of
Mothers. One is very serious about her job, while the other is
rather nonchalant. The two animals - mentioned for our study - are
the she-bear and the
ostrich.
The question you must ask
yourself as a Mother is -
Which one of these animals do I resemble?
Throughout the Scriptures, we find the expression -
"as a bear bereaved of her whelps."
2 Samuel 17:8 compared David and his mighty men
to the she-bear - "For, said
Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty
men, and they be chafed in their minds as a bear robbed of her
whelps in the field..."
In the presence of Absalom - David's rebellious son - Hushai
argued against Ahithophel's counsel - which was usually the best
and most often relied on. His deliberation included the idea that
David and his men were "chafed
in their minds" - angry, bitter, and
exasperated over the entire ordeal - like a she-bear
"robbed of her whelps in the field."
As typical of this mother bear, David would fight with utmost fury
to recover what was lost.
Proverbs 17:12 compares the passionate man - so
driven by his lusts and desires - to this same mother bear -
"Let a bear robbed of her whelps
meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly."
Nothing in the woods could possibly match the brute ferocity or
rage of the mother bear separated from her cubs. This is how the
"fool" - driven by his passions - reacts to
anyone who stands in the way of their gratification.
Proverbs 28:15 mentions the wicked ruler who
oppresses the poor - "As a
roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the
poor people." He is brutish, ferocious, and
devouring as the mother bear in pursuit of food for her own.
Lastly, Hosea 13:8 gives us a picture of God, in
His rage against His people who went to the heathen nation - the
Assyrians - for help and protection, while totally disregarding
Him - "I will meet them as a
bear that is bereaved of her whelps..." The
image presented here is one of excessive ferocity. The Syrian bear
- which is far more aggressive than the typical brown bear - is
implied. This mother bear - or any she-bear for that matter - can
be very cruel when "bereft of
her whelps." In protecting her babies, she
becomes reckless of her own life, turning fiercely on their
potential injurers or destroyers.
What a Mother this
she-bear is!
Don't ever try to get
between her and her babies.
She will fight you to
the death if you dare to "lay a finger" on one of them.
On
the other hand, the Scriptures mention another Mother in the
animal kingdom which is the total opposite of the she-bear. It is
the ostrich, and her description can be found in Job
39:13-17 - "Gavest thou
the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the
ostrich? Which leavest her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in
dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the
wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones,
as though they were not her's: her labour is in vain without fear;
Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted
to her understanding."
The
ostrich is comparable to your typical worldly woman who is caught
up with her looks - "or wings
and feathers unto the ostrich?" She has the
fine, beautiful, and exulting wings as a falcon or a hawk and
knows it. Her desire is to "show off" her
radiant beauty to all her admirers.
She
may be fair, but she sure is unwise. The Arabs have a proverb
which expresses this idea by saying - "foolish as an
ostrich." The Scriptures explain the reason for her
lack of wisdom - "Because God
hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her
understanding."
What idea gives us the
impression that she - among other animals - is so senseless?
This
idea is brought out in her carelessness toward her young and lack
of parental affection which is very unusual to the entire animal
kingdom.
Imagine this! She "leavest her
eggs in the earth..."
Any normal bird builds a nest for her young in a safe place - out
of harm's way.
Not the ostrich!
She lays from 30-50 large eggs - which are five inches in diameter
and weighing 15 lbs. each - on the ground -
"...And forgetteth that the foot
may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them."
The Arabs call her an "impious bird" for
she cares not for her own. After laying her eggs, she will
oftentimes wander away from them - forgetting the place where she
left them, unmindful of the danger to which she is exposing them.
In her travels, if she finds the eggs of another ostrich, she will
actually sit on them, totally neglecting her own. However, at the
slightest noise of the approach of a hunter or stranger, she
leaves the young in pursuit of her own safety.
She will leave her young - without any further care - to be
hatched by the warmth of the sun -
"...and warmeth them in dust..."
The joy of hatching and
raising her own - she leaves to another - the
"sun" or a passing
ostrich. Her lack of natural affection is exemplified by the words
- "She is hardened against her
young ones." Indeed, we can conclude after
studying her various characteristics that "her
labour is in vain without fear."
Now, let's bring this message down to where
we live.
In our society today, do the
Mothers generally resemble the she-bear or the ostrich?
Are they willing to "fight to
the death" against all enemies which would harm their babies?
Or are they - like the ostrich -
more concerned with their own beauty, well-being, and safety that
they cannot be bothered with raising children or taking care of
their needs?
How many Mothers have the
same fighting spirit as the she-bear?
How many will go after the devil
and his "hunters" with extreme ferocity if they should dare
to come near their little ones to injure them?
How many today are attacking
Satan and his ungodly influences "as a
ranging bear" because he has managed to steal their
children's souls, affections, hearts, callings, and lives -
leaving them "bereft" of their
offspring?
Or do we see most Mothers today
- like the ostrich - having babies and then abandoning them for
others to raise them?
Are we finding those who are
more willing to care for, raise, teach, and nurture someone else's
youngster rather than their own in the name of "ministry"?
Do we see those who - through a
lack of Holy Spirit discernment and a knowledge of the Word of God
- leave their children wide open to be crushed and
broken by "predators" in this life?
What is the general attitude of
most Mothers today?
Are they soft, tender,
affectionate, and overly protective like the she-bear, or are they
- for the most part - "hardened"
through self-centeredness, greed, lust, passions, compromise, and
pride - convinced that their "labour was in
vain"?
God certainly endowed the she-bear with Great Wisdom but
"deprived" the ostrich.
This is evident in the care of their little ones.
How about you, O
Mother?
What would it be said
of you?
Are you wise as the
she-bear or are you foolish like the ostrich?
Just how reckless are
you in your life when protecting your babies against potential
destroyers and injurers?
Perhaps you have been very passive in your
role as a Mother.
If so, hopefully this message has awakened
you to the selfishness of your own heart and brought you to
repentance.
If you will call upon the Lord this day for Wisdom, He will shower
you abundantly and liberally for the asking.
Just don't settle for being like
the senseless ostrich.
Don't let anyone ever tell you
that you do not have a great purpose, calling, or position in life
as a Mother.
Glean wisdom this day from the
she-bear and take on a fighting spirit against anyone who would
dare to rob you of your children or do them any harm.
It's time for Mothers to rise up.
It's time that they fight with all of their
might for the safety of their own.
It's time to let all "hunters"
and "predators" know that we will stand for
NOTHING
coming between us, our
children, and our God!
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
| © COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved
