M is for the many things she gave me.

O means only that she is growing old(er).

T is for the tears she shed to save me.

H is for her heart of purest gold.

E is for her eyes with love-light shining.

R means right and right she’ll always be.

Put them together, and they spell “mother,” the word that means the world to me.

That was an acronym I learned in elementary school that remains so dear to me today. It reminds me of the woman described in Proverbs 31, where she is called the virtuous woman. Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband praises her.

No matter what the status of a mother these days, married or single, young or old; raising a child is an awesome, yet not always easy, job.
It has been said in times past that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, a good mother knows that the village today isn’t what it was in olden days.

In these days we must trust God for wisdom to know how to raise a child and who to entrust to help raise that child. It takes time and patience and a lot of love. Most of all, it takes trusting in the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

This is very necessary if we are to train up a child in the way he should go and believe that he will not depart from his teachings (Proverbs 22:6).

I wish all mothers a happy Mother’s Day and pray God’s continual blessings on your life.

Edwards is the pastor of Agape Christian Fellowship Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.