Exodus 2:9: “Take this child, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.”
Pharoah’s daughter spoke these words to Moses’ mother when she found him in the bulrushes. These are literal words to Jochabed. However, I believe God speaks these words to every mother. When He gives a baby to a mother, He says: “Receive this baby from My loving hand. Nurse and nourish this baby for Me and I will reward you.”
When we nurse a baby at the breast, we are obeying God’s mandate. He has chosen mothers to nurse and nourish babies. This is very much part of who we are as a woman. And we are not of the deluded and deceived who do not know the answer to “What is a woman?
We know we are created by God to bring forth a baby from our womb and nourish this baby at the breast. We lavishly nurse our babies. We delight in this beautiful privilege. We are available to them whenever they need us. We nurse them until they are ready to wean, even if it is four years of age or more. We are a suckling mother.
Our nourishing does not end when our baby weans but continues throughout their growing years. We not only nourish with wholesome food but with godly wisdom and knowledge and understanding. We fill our children with His Word. We don’t only feed their physical bodies but their souls and spirits. It is so sad that many children grow up strong physically and yet their spirits are weak and starving.
This divine mandate from God takes commitment and sacrifice. It takes pouring out our lives. But God promises we will receive our wages. We will receive an eternal reward. This word WAGES is the same word in Psalm 127:3: “The fruit of the womb is his REWARD.”
We go to the New Testament and read the wonderful promise in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD.”
God has given to us the glorious work of mothering and training the future generation of the nation. We dare not do it lightly. God wants us to ABOUND in it. Let’s see what some other translations say:
“ALWAYS EXCELL”
“WORK VIGOROUSLY”
“ALWAYS BE OUTSTANDING”
“ALWAYS ENTHUSIASTIC”
“ALWLAYS LETTING THE CUP RUN OVER”
When we pour our lives into our God-given work, we can be sure of our eternal reward.
Your mothering is never in vain!
Be encouraged, dear mother,
Nancy Campbell