Imagine A World Without Mothers!

Professor William James, Harvard’s famous psychologist and the author of that well-known book, The Varieties of Religious Experience, said: “A teacher asked a boy this question on fractions: ‘Suppose that your mother baked an apple pie, and there were seven of you-your parents and five children. What part of the pie would you get?’ ‘A sixth, ma’am,’ the boy answered. ‘But there are seven of you,’ said the teacher. ‘Don’t you know anything about fractions?’ ‘Yes, teacher,’ replied the boy, ‘I know all about fractions, but I know all about Mother, too. Mother would say she did not want any pie!’ “

—Rick Meyers, E-Sword Commentary

W

omen and children is a phrase thrown around to emphasize the extent of an atrocity. It is the phrase George W. Bush used several times before launching a war against Iraq. We treat women and children as if they are the most vulnerable members of society.

Clueless

Well, the fact is that the vulnerability comes as an acute lack of wisdom on the part of men to understand the power and purpose of a woman. We have given our women the raw deal over the ages. If we really appreciated who a woman is and her function in society, there is no need for them to be the vulnerable!

If we have wrong information about something, then we will misuse and even abuse it. Come to think of it, the following statistics are shuddering!

• Every 1 out of 3 women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence. Think about that for a minute. Look around you right now. How many women can you see? At least one of them has experienced physical or sexual violence. Probably you know such a one. I do. I pray that you are not the perpetrator of the abuse. I humbly pray.
• Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by their male intimate partners! The very people that are supposed to take care of them, love them, nurture them, protect them and provide for them.
• I have not even mentioned women/child trafficking, Sex Slavery, emotional abuse against women, work place discrimination, work load at home and all.

Yet from these ashes that “men” inflict on the very crown of creation, she rises up to the highest calling ever—a mother!

“It saddens me that a mother can raise 7 children single handedly but when she is old, the 7 are not able to take care of her”

—John Hagee

If we as males are responsible for violating at least one third of our women world-wide, what does that tell of us as “Men”?

• When is the last time you helped a woman with no strings attached?
• When is the last time you did not look at a woman as a sexual object?
• When is the last time you did not take advantage of a woman’s vulnerability?
• When is the last time you said empowering and encouraging words to a woman?
• When is the last time you protected a woman from abuse and neglect?
• When is the last time you went out of your way to be a blessing to a woman?

Are we really serious about having the women folk with us? The proof of love is investment of time. We cannot claim to love mothers when we are treating women as objects. And wait until you see the kind of “men” that are the perpetrators of this violence against women:

• Relatives: Fathers (such as that of Joyce Meyer), Uncles, Brothers, Cousins (Such as that who raped Oprah at 9 years). This are the silent majority because it is not easy to report on them.
• Intimate Partners: Husbands and boyfriends. What a tragedy! I don’t want to talk about this bunch.
• Religious Leaders: The very ones who are charged with the responsibility of nurturing our women’s potential. I know of women who have been taken advantage of by some in this bunch…it is disheartening!
• Joe Average: This is the common man on the streets or on the block. Again there are many of these
• Criminals: Rapists and robbers and unscrupulous businessmen. They are violent as they are vicious. They use our women as objects. Some build business empires by buying and selling women and girls. These are few in number, but their “work” has devastated very many women world-wide. Thank God for organizations such as International Justice Mission that is doing tremendous work to deliver these women.
• Law Enforcement Officers: A violated woman seeks respite from Law Enforcement and they turn on her. Double tragedy.

Men, we need to talk. Let’s face it. A certain percentage of us do not want mothers! Why? Because you would never do these things to your mother, would you? Yet the highest fulfillment in life and far-reaching role of a woman is expressed through motherhood.

I do not ask that you repay

The hours of toil and pain.

The sacrifice of youth and strength

Shall not have been in vain.

I do not ask for gratitude,

But only this, my child;

That you shall live your life so well,

My gifts be not defiled.

The nights I watched beside your crib;

The years of love and care will amply be repaid;

If once I see you standing there,

An upright and honest soul,

On whom success has smiled,

That I may say with humble pride,

That’s my child!

—Rick Meyers, E-Sword Commentary

Today, we celebrate Mother’s Day. No man ever born was born without the contribution of a woman. I need you to take some time right now and imagine a world where there was no mother. If all things were constant and all mothers were mothers as expected to be, can you imagine your world without a mother?

Every time I go back home from work and my wife is not around, there is just this ominous feeling of something wonderful missing. I think the sorriest thing you ever saw in the dictionary is the definition of a mother! There is no dictionary on earth that ever came close to giving a succinct definition of this wonder word: Mother! I have checked them all, and there is none. In fact, this little child has a better definition:

A little girl’s definition of “mother”: “A mother is a person who takes care of her kids and gets their meals and if she is not there when you get home from school you wouldn’t know how to get your meals and you wouldn’t feel like eating them anyhow.”

—Rick Meyers, E-Sword Commentary

Let’s Appreciate Them All

Here we are again with this awesome opportunity of a lifetime to appreciate mothers. My call today is not that we would appreciate mothers alone…but all the women in our lives. Can we be creative enough to do it? Can we be sacrificial enough? Can we be thoughtful and reflective? Can we be expressive enough of our gratitude? Can we at least have some words that we can speak to them? Can we look them in the eye today and just say these words, “I deeply appreciate you for who you are as a woman, the world is a much better place with you in it. Thank you!” Let this spread all over. Let us mean it.

And Yet…

Mothers are so easily forgotten. As strong as they are, we so easily forget that their strength comes from being appreciated. It is so easy for 40 years to zoom past an a child has never had a meaningful conversation with his mother. He thinks that she will always be there. But every passing year, Mama is drawing closer to where she came from—from heaven itself.

The man stopped at the flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived 200 miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied: “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother, but I only have 75 cents and a rose costs $2.00.

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I will buy you a rose for your mother.” He placed his FTD order of flowers to his mother and bought a rose for the girl. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride.

She responded, “Yes, please, if you could. Take me to my mother,” and she directed him to a cemetery where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up the flowers and drove the 200 miles to his mother’s home.

—Rick Meyers, E-Sword Commentary

Can you imagine a world without mothers? A world without women? I am willing to bet that there is no man capable of such an imagination, because such a world where there are no mothers is unimaginable!

Happy Mother’s Day folks.