Who's Mom are you?

 Happy Mothers' Day!!! At least once a year, mothers all over the world are appreciated and celebrated. As Mrs. Pastor, do you feel like the mother of the church? Does that put any pressure on you or is it a pleasurable feeling? Do you assess the effectiveness of your "Motherhood" or do you see it as a title that comes with being Mrs. Pastor?

I tread on this topic carefully because I know churches where Mrs. Pastor is referred to as "Mommy" - possibly more out of feeling that a church is a family - headed by a "Daddy" and a "Mommy". There is some logic to that - not that I agree completely - for me the most important of all the questions above is:

"Are you the mother of the church?"

This almost sounds like a trick question but it isn't. Being Mrs. Pastor brings some unexpected responsibilities with it. Sometimes it seems like you need to take full-grown adults, including those older than you, under your wing to nurture and encourage them. At other times, you are expected to know or at least notice when they are about to/actually have a "fever" - physically, emotionally or spiritually. Talk about keeping your eyes, ears, heart and arms open at all times in all places! It's not the easiest thing to do with our competing priorities & individual wants (for attention) vs. actual needs.

One joy (and honour) of any mother is to know that her children have been trained in the way of the Lord, are growing steadfastly and can stand on their own wherever they go...whether she is there or not.

This is a tough call especially with adults - you can only do your best and show your love to the brethren in your church - in the place of prayer and in the way you relate with everyone. It's definitely not a piece of cake to be looked upon/treated as and then called "Mother".

Ministry in itself is not a piece of cake but being Mrs. Pastor takes the responsibility a notch higher.

It is something to be taken so seriously that we must beware that we don't neglect our own biological child(ren) in the process. We must ensure that we also nurture and encourage them and water them regularly with the Word and in the place of prayer. Only then can you truly have a "Happy Mothers' Day" every day of our lives.

Indeed, every day is "Mothers' Day."