Most precious - by Mignon Young

“Is it little Judy or what?”  “Oh you are so much like your mother?”  Oh the thought.  I am not like my mother, nothing like her.  However, it continues to happen.  Surely as I get older it will stop.  How they come to that conclusion beats me anyway.  “Like mother, like daughter”.  I guess there is more of my mother in me than I realise.  What is the ideal mother?  I have only had one mother so that is all I know.
I had a stay-at-home mum.  And as kids, we were probably a handful – 4 of us under 4 years old.  Mum never gave up.  My mother was capable, always made things look easy.  Nothing was too hard.  She knew the value of being a mother even when things were bleak, difficult or meaningless.  She had a higher calling.  Her God-given job as a mother was important.
I think of my mum as being sacrificial, selfless, caring, loving, mentor, guide and advice giver (even when not wanted), protector, shelter (through the storms of life), giving, and faithful in prayer.
Is it hard?  Being a mother never stops.  It is relentless.  It is day in and day out - loads of washing, packing lunches, cleaning, cooking and sorting out fights (with my 3 brothers!).  There is no break.  You cannot walk away from it.  It is all the little things that lack glamour, all the thankless tasks.  Being a mother is the hardest job.
Mother’s want their children to do well, exceed and accomplish great things.  However, the biggest thing any mother can do is love her children (Titus 2:4), train her children to live godly lives (Proverbs 22:6) and help them to discover how they can contribute to God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
No matter your age, you always need your mum.  And yes, I am still like her.  The gift of motherhood is one of the most precious gifts and callings you can ever have.