I always find it amazing how God created the woman, to have a new life inside our bodies and give life, even if it is with pain. The same day a woman gives birth, both the mother and the baby start on a career in which one day both will graduate. It is one of the longest careers; and when you see in your children a good citizen, a good Christian and a good example, then the graduation is coming. The fifth commandment reads, “Honor your father and your Mother.” Exodus 20: 12. This commandment comes with a promise, “that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth you.” When my children were born, I missed feeling that little body inside me; I missed seeing the little movements, and to know that a little heart was beating, growing and getting stronger for the big day. It is a miracle when the mother and the baby finally meet, even though it is painful. It is painful when they have their first teeth. Many children grow up experiencing pain. Mothers are always going to be there to dry their tears, to clean their cuts, and to help them when they fall.
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Romans 8:22. Pain is a word that we learn. Since we were little children, our parent’s, and especially our mother, often said, “Don’t touch the oven, don’t touch the iron, you can get burned and you are going to be in pain. Don’t climb the tree; if you fall you can get hurt.” Pain is not a word that God wanted for Adam or for Eve. At the end of the six days of creation, God said, “it was very good.” He then blessed the seventh day, the Sabbath, and rested from all His work. Everything God created was good. Pain was not part of God’s creation. God loved Adam and Eve; they were part of His creation. God did not want pain or sorrow for them. After the fall the pain started. To the woman God said: In pain you shall have your children. (Genesis 3: 16 first part).
“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:17-19.
Now both man and woman had to suffer the consequences of disobedience. Not only did the pain begin, but also death. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12
In life we experience different kinds of pain – physical and emotional – and even though no one likes pain, we learn to live with it. With physical pain you can feel it, you can touch it and you can see it.
The Bible mentions many women that went through different types of pain. In Moses’ time all the male babies were killed. “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” Exodus 1:22. In Jesus’ time, again many women that had babies went through the same pain. The Bible says that there was a cry of sorrow. “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.” Matthew 2: 17, 18
Mary, the mother of Jesus, went through such pain that there are not words to describe it. In the book Luke 2: 25 it says, “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 2:25, 26. The spirit of prophecy was upon this man of God and, while Joseph and Mary stood by wondering at his words, he blessed them and said unto Mary, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against.” Luke 2:34. (yes, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also)
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world to suffer pain in order to bring us salvation. “It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became ‘a Man of Sorrows,’ that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. ‘The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.’ Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God – it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God.” –Steps to Christ, p. 13
Mary and Jesus suffered terrible pain; on the cross Mary saw her son dying, hanging and being mocked, suffering a painful death. Jesus saw his mother having to endure all this. “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” John 19:26, 27. Jesus was dying on the cross for our sins, for our transgressions. Even in His pain, Jesus did not forget His Mother. How many of us forget our Mothers and our children in Jesus Christ.
When Sister Leila McTavish returns from Africa, she always mentions the orphans, the widows, and the mothers that need help. This message, “Behold your mother, and Behold your son,” is for us also, and it is our duty not to forget. Remember our Dear Sister Cecilia, who recently lost her husband. She was always an independent lady and now she has lost her freedom also. Sometimes we have our own struggles, problems, sicknesses, and emotional pain; it is easy to forget the struggles that others have. The Bible says that we have a cross. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23. We should ask Jesus to teach us how to carry our cross if it is heavy. We shouldn’t ask God for a lighter cross. We should ask for strength and strong shoulders to carry our cross, and not only our own cross, but we should also help others carry theirs. Remember, our cross is never going to be the same weight as the one that Jesus was carrying. He was carrying the sins of each one of us.
Before my mother passed away in November 2007, I prayed for something really hard. God answered my prayer. First I travelled to see my Mother in August 2007. I was with her for two weeks. By November my mother became sicker. I wanted to be with her to say good bye and to give thanks for everything she had done for me. It is not easy when I live so far away, not only because of money, but because it is really hard to travel without my children. It is very painful when you have your mother sick and far away. My sister in Mexico and my aunt told me that my mother appeared to be in a coma; she had been sleeping for three days, and my mother’s wish was not to be taken to the hospital. I prayed and asked God to be able to visit Mexico again, to be with my mother when she was going through this hard time, when this sickness was killing her. God answered my prayer after the three days in which my mother was sleeping. We were at my sister Angeles’ house, in Mississauga; my sister called to Mexico and they gave us the news that my Mother had woken up. Angeles told me that my Mom wanted to talk with me. The first words that my Mother said were, “Are you coming?” My Mother didn’t know that we had already started looking for tickets to travel to Mexico, and her question really surprised me. “Are you coming?” My answer was, “Yes Mom, are you going to wait for me?” She said yes. That was Monday. On Wednesday my sister and I arrived in Mexico. When we got home my Mother was sleeping. I just stood beside her bed, when she woke up she said “you came.” And I said “Yes, I told you that I was coming.” My mother needed to have dialysis three times a week. To take her to the hospital and to have dialysis was very painful for her; she didn’t want to go to the hospital any more. For us it was very hard to see her without the medical attention that she needed, but my aunt really wanted to honour my mother’s requesting. On Thursday we couldn’t take her to the hospital for her dialysis. By Friday, Angeles and I decided to do something. We started making all the arrangements for the doctors and nurses to come to my mother’s home if she was not able to go to the hospital. We had to help my sister in Mexico arrange all the paper work; it took us all morning. It seemed that the doctors were not interested in doing this. Finally they said that if we bring our mother on Monday to the hospital where they felt she belonged, they were going to assess to see if she could have the needed medical attention at home. We agreed. By Saturday I started getting very anxious and frustrated, seeing my mother in pain and not being able to do anything, so I called the doctor and he told me to bring my mother to see him right away. We were just about to take her when my aunt arrived and said, “Your mother is not going to handle more dialysis, please don’t take her to the hospital.” We decided to stay, but we told her that on Monday we were going to take her to the hospital, because the doctor needed to see her. On November 12, 2007, we were happy because the doctors agreed to send the medical services that my mother required, doctors or nurses were going to visit my mother at home. She didn’t need to go to the hospital anymore. It was sunny but a little bit cold; I was waiting with my mother outside the hospital while my sisters, Lupita and Angeles, went to the parking lot for our friend so he could come take us home. Suddenly my Mother started choking. I didn’t know what to do, I got really scared. I started screaming. My sister Angeles came back because she heard my scream and, in less than a minute, two paramedics were taking my mother to the emergency room. My mother was with me but I didn’t realize that she was dying. It was time to say good bye. My prayer was answered. I was with her but I didn’t have the strength to see her dying. I was so sure that when the time came I would be able to give comfort to my Mom and I failed. It was not easy to see my mother in pain; it was not easy to see her dying; it was not easy when we saw our aunt who blamed us for taking my mother to the hospital and to let her die in the hospital. It was like a bucket of cold water and ice cubes that she dropped on us over and over again.
After my mother passed away I started feeling emotional and physical pain. I was getting irritated very easily. I remember one day when I was feeling very sad, guilty and sick because of all this. I prayed to God; I was feeling so weak that I didn’t want to open the Bible. My Bible was in my room and something inside me was telling me, “Open your Bible.” I took my Bible and I opened, to Proverbs 4:20- 23, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issue of life.” Pain is a very short word, but it has a lot of power. God doesn’t want us to be in pain all the time. There are beautiful promises in the Bible. “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1 Peter 5:10 “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22, 2nd part. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Recently, in Canada, it was Mother’s day; in many other parts of the world they also celebrate this day. Many people spend hundreds of dollars to show they love their Mothers with a gift. The fifth commandment says, “honour your father and your mother.” Show your mother that you love her, be nice and kind, give her a kiss, tell her that you love her, write a poem; don’t wait until it is Mother’s Day. Celebrate the 365 days that God made a woman to be a mother, to be a sister, or to be a daughter.
Lucy Flores
WHY DID MOTHER PRAY AND CRY
When I was young and in my prime
For Jesus, I had no time.
My Mother would pray and cry;
I would only wonder why.
Always seeking pleasures in sin,
Caring nothing for my life within,
My Mother would pray and cry
And I would wonder why.
I would go out at night;
Coming home, there’d always be a light.
My Mother would pray and cry
And I would wonder why.
Now that I am grown
Have a family of my own
So it is that I know why
Mother would pray and cry.
Thank you, Mother, for your prayer,
And all the love you share.
Now it is I that pray and cry
No longer do I wonder why.
Now Mother that you are gone
All the battles fought and won
You no longer need to pray and cry
For I will see you there by and by.
Jesus, new life to me He gives,
For in my heart I know He lives.
That is why you would pray and cry
And I no longer wonder why.