When Mary, the mother of Jesus, was greeted by the angel Gabriel with the news that she would be the one to give birth to the Messiah, she was puzzled, troubled and not a little afraid. Still her response was to say, "Be it done unto me according to thy word."

When it all sunk in, she sang a song from another mother, centuries before. "My soul doth magnify the Lord." it began. Like Hannah, the mother of Samuel, whose song she quotes, Mary understood that motherhood in God's kingdom is a privilege that comes with great responsibility.

Both Mary and Hannah would know the joy of giving birth, and the warmth of nursing their babies. Both would face the pain of separation, as their sons would be released to God's purposes. Both would experience the pain of watching their sons grow up in uncertain times. Both of these moms, because of their faithfulness, released generations of blessings to the world, simply because they played their parts in obscurity.

No one ever wrote a book about Mary Jenkins. She was never on TV or on the cover of a magazine. All she did was raise five children on a shoestring. Those five children have all had long careers in helping professions, teachers, coaches, counselors, and even a preacher.

Betty Rasmussen never ventured outside the town where she was born. She was shy to the point of being retiring. She saw to it, though, that her daughters learned to play the piano. My wife Judy has probably reached as many or more people with her gift in music than I ever have as a preacher. Her sister Gail has two children, both of whom have served on short-term missions trips overseas. Betty never got to do those things, but her quiet faithfulness resulted in her children and grandchildren doing them.

Let's be thankful for faithful moms. The Bible says "Her children will rise up and call her blessed." Let's do just that.

Mary Jenkin's boy, Jim
May 11, 2003