<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen God thought of mother, he must have laughed with satisfaction and framed it quickly \u2014 so rich, so deep, so divine, so full of soul, power, and beauty was the conception\u201d (Henry Ward Beecher).<\/p>\n
SOME HUMAN ATTRIBUTES ARE TYPICALLY FOUND IN WOMEN MORE OFTEN THAN IN MEN, AND \u201cMOTHERLINESS\u201d IS SUCH A TRAIT, OBVIOUSLY. Indeed, motherliness is so closely associated in our minds with the feminine disposition that it stands as one of the defining characteristics of femininity. The natural tendency to love and cherish, to nourish and nurture, and to encourage and support are so bound up with being a woman that these skills are usually thought to come as part of a woman\u2019s \u201coriginal equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
But notice carefully the word we\u2019re meditating on today: it\u2019s not just \u201cmotherhood,\u201d but \u201cmotherliness\u201d that we want to think about. Motherhood is the biological fact of being a mother, and it may or may not be accompanied by motherly attitudes and actions. Usually it is, but not always. And so we properly pay tribute to those women who\u2019ve not only borne children, but having done so, have also given their children (and perhaps others) the great gift of motherliness.<\/p>\n
Motherliness is not just a trait; it\u2019s a virtue. It\u2019s something to be admired and praised. Yes, it does come naturally to most women, but the actual following of motherly instincts on a day-to-day basis requires choice. It requires work. And it requires no small measure of sacrifice. Those mothers who have gone beyond motherhood into the realm of real motherliness are to be honored in the very highest way.<\/p>\n
In some parts of the world, May is the month when \u201cMother\u2019s Day\u201d comes around. This is a day to remember our mothers for their greatness \u2014 and if they\u2019re still living, to express our appreciation to them personally. Fortunately, greatness as a mother doesn\u2019t require a woman to have achieved many of the things that the world admires; \u201csuccess\u201d (at least in the usual sense) is simply not necessary. And that\u2019s a good thing because not many of our mothers had any realistic chance to make a mark that the world would notice. But oh, how they loved us! And if today we had little else in life but the love our mothers gave up their lives to give us, we\u2019d still be wealthy, wouldn\u2019t we?<\/p>\n
\u201cA rich child often sits in a poor mother\u2019s lap\u201d (Danish Proverb).<\/p>\n
Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n