WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.720 We're going to talk about motherhood today. 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:08.259 And just by way of opening, I've been thinking about my own mother a lot. 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:10.099 I had a very, very remarkable mom. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:11.439 About half of you guys knew her. 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:12.540 About half of you didn't. 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:13.880 She passed away a few years ago. 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:21.219 My mom, one of the things that was really unique about my mom is you hear of people that their 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:25.339 whole life they planned to have a particular kind of career. 00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:30.300 Like let's say you hear of someone who's, you know, their whole life they wanted to be a ballet dancer. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:32.380 Their whole life they wanted to be a professional athlete. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:34.320 And they worked toward that their entire life. 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:39.359 But one of the things about my mom is from a very young age, she just wanted to be a mom. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:43.740 And then when she got to middle school, her own mother actually passed away. 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:50.879 And one of the things, you know, there's unfortunate reality is that oftentimes we take things for 00:00:50.879 --> 00:00:52.579 granted until they're gone. 00:00:52.579 --> 00:01:01.079 And she had the unique perspective of really, really not taking motherhood for granted because 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:02.759 she lost it at a relatively young age. 00:01:02.979 --> 00:01:09.039 And it really doubled down her resolve that what she wanted to do with her life, the only 00:01:09.039 --> 00:01:14.840 thing she wanted to do with her life, the legacy that she was content to have and have alone was to just be a 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:15.239 good mom. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:16.200 That's what she wanted. 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:20.620 One of the things that happened as she aged is she was born in 1959. 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:25.719 And so she grew up, you know, she was a teenager in the 70s. 00:01:26.260 --> 00:01:33.540 And a lot of her, I'm not talking a lot enough, a lot of her peers really questioned motherhood. 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:38.980 And a lot of her peers, you know, took a different direction, went into careers, questioned motherhood, 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:40.560 questioned marriage, things like this. 00:01:40.880 --> 00:01:42.700 But she really maintained her resolve. 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:44.120 She wanted to be a mom. 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:45.660 She got married. 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:47.060 She had 10 children. 00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:49.260 And, you know, she really loved the Lord. 00:01:49.380 --> 00:01:50.900 And she loved us very, very well. 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:53.580 And then she passed away a few years ago. 00:01:53.740 --> 00:01:54.820 She had an incredible legacy. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.160 My mom passed away at a reasonable age. 00:01:58.300 --> 00:02:00.180 I think mom was 63 when she passed away. 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:01.580 61. 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:03.980 All of her children were adults. 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:11.580 And one of the things that is a privilege to grieve is grieving the end of a really good story. 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:17.920 I've noticed my friends who have lost parents or lost loved ones where it ends in tragedy. 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:19.400 It actually can be harder to grieve. 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.640 I think one of the things I'm really thankful for is that my mom just had an incredible story. 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:26.939 And she just did such a good job, you know. 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:48.199 And one of the things that I feel that I have been able to appreciate her legacy is there's a handful of things that she learned late in motherhood that she wanted young moms to learn early. 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:53.840 And I think a couple of the really big ones, and I think some of the ladies in here knew my mom. 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:55.139 She had a lot of influence. 00:02:55.139 --> 00:02:58.319 She had some level of discipleship in some of the ladies here. 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.159 My mom really wanted moms. 00:03:03.239 --> 00:03:05.679 A lot of this is going to be inspired by the legacy of my mother. 00:03:05.679 --> 00:03:22.539 But one of the things that she really longed for young moms is to take the invisibility or the taken for grantedness that mothers oftentimes experience. 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:26.419 And take a lot of the invisibility in the mundane. 00:03:26.419 --> 00:03:42.000 And really find a level of value and fulfillment in the Lord rather than all the other things that, let's say, tempt our heart with. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:57.740 And I think even in this day and age, even as it was back in the 70s all the way up until now, I think it can be really difficult for mothers in that a lot of the atmosphere is kind of selling a story of if you do this, you would actually feel valuable. 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:07.820 And I think one of the ironies of motherhood is the realization of how valuable motherhood is, but the experience of being treated low in value, if that makes sense. 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:14.659 You're both doing something that you know is incredibly valuable, but you feel very valueless in it. 00:04:14.959 --> 00:04:15.419 You know what I mean? 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:19.560 And I think it's because motherhood is one of those things that is easy to take for granted. 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:20.300 You know what I mean? 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:25.019 My mom had a unique perspective because she didn't take it for granted at all. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:26.139 You know what I mean? 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:50.500 And I think the other thing is, I think my mom would say this, is that there's something about motherhood that brings an eternal being into existence and experiencing the weight and glory of that and feeling to some degree incapable or overwhelmed or having kind of a little bit of a perfectionistic cloud always examining your motherhood. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:52.419 Like you can never quite do enough. 00:04:52.420 --> 00:05:17.980 And I think if my mom, if my mom was to speak on this, I think that she would really, I think she really wanted young mothers to be able to take the invisibility of motherhood and the perfectionism of motherhood and really have that resolved in the relationship with the Lord rather than all the other ways that this world. 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:21.900 There's a lot of other solutions that this world sells us. 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:22.600 You know what I mean? 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:25.520 And motherhood is really easy to take for granted. 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:26.180 You know what I mean? 00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:33.840 So anyway, with all that said, I'm going to start with, this is Malachi chapter two. 00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:36.500 This is when the Lord is talking about the purpose of marriage. 00:05:36.700 --> 00:05:38.140 Sometimes this one flies under the radar. 00:05:38.400 --> 00:05:41.379 This is Malachi chapter two, verse 15. 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.659 Did he not make them one? 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:45.699 This is talking about marriage. 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:50.459 Did he not make them one with a portion of the spirit in their union? 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:56.219 And what was the one that God, what and what was the one God seeking? 00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:57.959 Godly offspring. 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:00.639 So God was seeking something for marriage from their union. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:01.879 It was godly offspring. 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:08.279 So guard yourselves in your spirit and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:16.779 So the Lord is saying here that the purpose of marriage, according to the Lord, is actually to produce godly offspring. 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:21.619 Which, for all of us who are believers, isn't that our heart? 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:23.779 Don't we want our children to be godly? 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:27.079 But that also, in a lot of ways, is the dilemma. 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:35.579 That's the great weight and dilemma of parenting is how are we to produce godliness in our children? 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:36.199 You know what I mean? 00:06:36.539 --> 00:06:37.959 And I think there is a real mystery there. 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.500 There's a real mystery in the sense of, you know what? 00:06:40.599 --> 00:06:41.439 The Lord's sovereign. 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:42.399 The Lord's in control. 00:06:43.159 --> 00:06:50.099 How can I make something that only the Lord, you know, is ultimately in charge of? 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:50.399 You know what I mean? 00:06:50.419 --> 00:06:51.159 It's a real paradox. 00:06:51.359 --> 00:06:54.039 And I think also, it's even, again, the motherhood dilemma. 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:57.979 It's a dilemma even when it comes to mothering your children. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:06:58.659 You know what I mean? 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:03.139 How do you raise your children in a way that they're godly children? 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:04.359 That's the question. 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:05.600 Okay. 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:05.680 Okay. 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:06.960 Moving now. 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:10.860 This is 2 Timothy 1, verse 5. 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:13.660 I am reminded. 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:15.759 This is Paul speaking to Timothy. 00:07:16.400 --> 00:07:26.939 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother, Lois, and then in your mother, Eunice. 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:31.540 And I am persuaded now lives in you also. 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:41.260 There is something that the Lord has given women, which we should all have sincerity of faith. 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:48.920 But there's something about the sincerity of faith that comes from a mother that is really persuasive to the trust of a child. 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:52.680 And there's something about it that can pass through the generations. 00:07:52.820 --> 00:07:54.120 I've seen this time and time again. 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:57.079 One of the big questions I have as a parent, again, this is the question about godliness. 00:07:57.879 --> 00:07:58.680 What is it? 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:05.800 Like, is there some trends that I see in parents that raise their children that actually continue to follow the Lord? 00:08:06.180 --> 00:08:12.220 And as far as I can tell, and there's other verses that I'm going to quote on this, sincerity, I think, is one of the things that's at the top of the list. 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:21.340 I think there's something about being a hypocritical parent as it pertains to your faith that makes it really hard for your children to receive and trust in the faith that you followed. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:26.760 But there's something about sincerity that really makes the way straight to the faith of your children. 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:38.200 And in this verse, Paul is saying that the same faith that his grandmother had was passed to his mother, and he is now persuaded has passed to him. 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:44.340 He's saying that there was a sincerity of faith that was a legacy through the line of mothers. 00:08:44.540 --> 00:08:45.660 It's a really beautiful thing. 00:08:45.920 --> 00:08:57.080 I think this is something that mothers have, that men, I think fathers also have, but there's something about this sincerity of faith that mothers have a unique leverage of influence over their children. 00:08:58.540 --> 00:08:59.780 I'm going to move to another one. 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:02.560 This is Psalm 22, starting in verse 9. 00:09:04.040 --> 00:09:08.040 Yet you are he who took me from my mother's womb. 00:09:09.060 --> 00:09:13.980 You made me to trust you at my mother's breast. 00:09:14.640 --> 00:09:19.280 On you was I cast from my birth and from my mother's womb. 00:09:19.640 --> 00:09:20.759 You have been my God. 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:32.460 I think there's something about the nurturing care of a mother that is able to facilitate trust in their child and also make the way straight for them to trust the Lord as well. 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:33.860 That's what this verse is saying. 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:37.259 It's not just saying that he was Lord of him. 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:41.620 It's saying that he learned to trust the Lord from his mother's breast. 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:51.340 There's something about something that comes from a mother that is able to actually make the way straight for trusting the Lord even in young children. 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:52.539 It's a really beautiful thing. 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:54.219 All right. 00:09:54.719 --> 00:09:56.319 Genesis 29. 00:09:57.819 --> 00:10:04.799 This is the story of Leah, Jacob's second wife, the dejected wife. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:11.439 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb. 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:13.500 But Rachel was barren. 00:10:14.500 --> 00:10:16.379 And Leah conceived and bore a son. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:18.539 And she called his name Reuben. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:25.459 For she said, because the Lord has looked upon my affliction, for now my husband will love me. 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:30.860 So for her first son, she thinks, maybe now my husband will finally love me. 00:10:32.660 --> 00:10:42.720 She conceived again and bore another son and said, because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given this son to me also. 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:44.960 And she called his name Simeon. 00:10:45.920 --> 00:10:48.820 Again, she conceived and bore a son. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:56.259 And she said, now this time my husband will be attached to me because I have borne him three sons yet again. 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:58.980 Maybe now my husband will finally love me. 00:11:00.180 --> 00:11:01.980 Therefore, his name will be called Levi. 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:04.540 And she conceived again and bore a son. 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:08.300 This time I will praise the Lord. 00:11:08.299 --> 00:11:11.500 Therefore, she called his name Judah. 00:11:12.199 --> 00:11:13.479 And then she ceased marrying. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:23.179 One of the things my mom figured out later on in her motherhood is a lot of the affirmation from men that she was seeking. 00:11:23.699 --> 00:11:28.240 A lot of her identity that she wanted built up and supported. 00:11:28.479 --> 00:11:36.659 A lot of her confidence she was constantly looking to either in her father and her husband in different male roles in her life. 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:41.919 And she figured out kind of later in her parenting that she really could only get it from the Lord. 00:11:42.419 --> 00:11:43.579 In a final sense. 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:47.039 It really came back to she needed to receive this from the Lord. 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:49.899 And that's the same thing that Leah ends up figuring out here. 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:51.519 Maybe now my husband. 00:11:51.659 --> 00:11:52.439 Maybe now my husband. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:53.419 Maybe now my husband. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.539 And finally, I'll just praise the Lord. 00:11:56.919 --> 00:11:57.419 You know what I mean? 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:00.779 And that's not a dig on your circumstance. 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:09.199 I think that it is a really unfortunate thing that so many mothers are in large part invisible and are in large part taken for granted. 00:12:09.339 --> 00:12:12.539 But I want to tell you today, the Lord is not taking you for granted. 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:19.980 All right. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:22.539 Luke chapter 10. 00:12:22.959 --> 00:12:23.819 Very famous message. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:29.779 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. 00:12:30.459 --> 00:12:33.779 And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:39.579 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:42.679 But Martha was distracted with much serving. 00:12:43.459 --> 00:12:49.419 And she went up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:52.839 Tell her then to help me. 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:54.480 But the Lord answered her. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:13:00.820 Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:03.480 But one thing is necessary. 00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:09.680 Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:21.320 I think that this is such a good encapsulation for all of us in terms of choosing the Lord and exalting the Lord above everything, choosing the one thing. 00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:34.920 But I think especially for mothers, because I think women uniquely in their motherhood bear the knowledge of all of the anxieties and concerns and all the implications of a life constantly. 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:43.660 And one of the things that can happen is that perfectionism that hangs over you can cause you to feel like you literally have to be perfect on all fronts at all times. 00:13:44.040 --> 00:13:45.180 The kids always have to be put together. 00:13:45.300 --> 00:13:46.540 House always has to be put together. 00:13:46.900 --> 00:13:48.300 You have to look good for your husband. 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:51.740 You have to be doing all the extracurriculars correctly. 00:13:51.939 --> 00:13:58.000 Every single domain that you have is another domain of perfectionism that you feel like you have to rise to. 00:13:58.339 --> 00:14:00.740 And if you don't do it all, what if you screw up your kids? 00:14:00.939 --> 00:14:08.659 Or what if you, you know, are seeing even what you're taking for granted even more than you already are taking for granted, et cetera, et cetera. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.599 But there's really just one great thing. 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:14.120 There's really just one great thing. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:15.919 And it's really the Lord. 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:16.839 You know what I mean? 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:18.720 It's the same thing that Leah discovered. 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:20.560 It's the same thing that Leah discovered. 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:22.060 It's choosing the Lord. 00:14:22.540 --> 00:14:32.940 And really, this isn't even only about our own heart before the Lord, because it is our own heart before the Lord, but also even for our children, that our children would see that. 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:33.840 You know what I mean? 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:42.740 I think that one of the things that can be a dilemma, even in motherhood, is letting your life be about many, many things rather than one thing. 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:48.960 And I think we could even, for those of us who had mothers, we long for that in our mothers. 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:56.560 And that's an encouragement to you mothers, that you would choose that one great thing, because that's the thing even us as children longed for. 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:57.620 You know what I mean? 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:01.539 The mother that was the mother that was the one great thing. 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:06.740 The mother that wasn't torn apart by the perfectionism would be concerned about many, many things. 00:15:09.620 --> 00:15:11.620 Romans, one second actually. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.240 Romans 16, 13. 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:30.779 There is an adoptive power of motherhood. 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:37.680 Mothers have an adoptive power where other people, other than their own children, they can be as mothers too. 00:15:37.680 --> 00:15:44.740 And for this woman, this is Rufus' mother, she was as a mother to the Apostle Paul. 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:50.740 And I think there's an extent to which motherhood is such a valuable and powerful thing. 00:15:51.500 --> 00:16:07.500 And it can be easy to underestimate the gravity of what motherhood's influence, like the gravity and trajectory and transforming power of what a mother can have in the life of one important person. 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:17.860 In fact, one of the things I was even thinking about, I was listening to a panel discussion with like John Piper and what's his name? 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:21.259 A few of the other different reformed preachers. 00:16:21.259 --> 00:16:26.179 And they were all talking about the importance of mothers. 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:31.939 And one of the guys asked, how many of you are here today because of the sincere faith of your mother? 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:33.480 And they all raised their hand. 00:16:33.939 --> 00:16:35.659 And they all were like, you know what? 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:39.759 My mother is the one who really instilled faith in me growing up. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:40.480 You know what I mean? 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:45.860 And there's an extent to which this even moves outside the bounds of even just your own children. 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:52.220 It's such a powerful thing when women also extend that adoptive power to other people. 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:53.320 You know what I'm saying? 00:16:53.740 --> 00:17:01.600 And I actually think that this is one of those things where as believers, I think there can be a temptation to believe that everybody becomes a man. 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:02.779 Everybody becomes a woman. 00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:05.920 But some people are mothers and some people are fathers. 00:17:06.140 --> 00:17:10.240 But in the legacy of faith, everyone should be a mother at some point. 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:11.759 Everyone should be a father at some point. 00:17:11.860 --> 00:17:14.019 Insofar as spiritual family is concerned. 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.279 And Rufus' mother was as a mother to Paul. 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:23.819 Proverbs 6.20. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:26.880 Actually, I'm going to skip over that one. 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:27.200 Come back. 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:29.380 Proverbs 31.1. 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:32.300 It's the beginning of Proverbs 31. 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:34.080 About the noble woman. 00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:36.920 The words of King Lemuel. 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:40.920 An oracle that his mother taught him. 00:17:41.300 --> 00:17:52.540 So this whole chapter about the honorable noble woman is actually in large part inspired and spoken from the oracles that his own mother taught him. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:55.940 There's something about motherhood that actually teaches. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:56.940 You know what I mean? 00:17:56.940 --> 00:18:01.299 Not only does it teach, but think about what a powerful legacy that woman had. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.740 She's just another mom. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.039 You know, in the invisibility and mundaneness of motherhood. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.160 Raising someone who's going to be the future king of Israel. 00:18:10.820 --> 00:18:13.240 And he writes an entire chapter just honoring her. 00:18:13.420 --> 00:18:14.860 Honoring her and her legacy. 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:18.039 She is being seen. 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:20.120 She is being valued. 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:21.720 She is being acknowledged. 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:25.620 Proverbs 6.20. 00:18:25.619 --> 00:18:31.179 My son, keep your father's commandment and forsake not your mother's teaching. 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:37.620 I think as I've gotten older, I've really treasured a lot of my mother's teaching. 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:40.620 In fact, some of what I'm even sharing right now with some of my mother's teaching. 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:50.960 And it's a really, really powerful thing when mothers take their powerful influence and instill and teach their children at a young age. 00:18:50.960 --> 00:19:03.039 There's something about the wisdom that comes from a mother that's able to communicate things so incredibly deeply, even to very, very young children, that continues to reverberate for their entire life. 00:19:03.360 --> 00:19:06.860 Women, do not undersell the importance of your teaching. 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.819 Do not undersell yourself in the importance of your teaching. 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:16.259 Again, Titus chapter 2, starting in verse 3. 00:19:16.259 --> 00:19:24.420 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:37.980 They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:42.220 Even in this passage, it's this encouragement for women to teach. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:46.460 I think there's such an incredible power that women have to teach. 00:19:46.839 --> 00:20:00.100 And I think that sometimes, again, in the invisibility and overwhelmingness of the mundane and just trying to keep your head above water, women undersell themselves in the incredible power that they have to teach. 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:00.940 Teach. 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:05.880 All right. 00:20:06.620 --> 00:20:07.720 This is Ruth chapter 1. 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:13.279 This is one of the most powerful pledges of loyalty in all of Scripture. 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:18.079 And it is not to the Lord. 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:22.200 It is to a woman. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.299 It is to a woman who is a mother to Ruth. 00:20:26.120 --> 00:20:27.140 And she said, 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:32.700 See your sister-in-law that has gone back to her people and to her gods. 00:20:33.780 --> 00:20:35.380 Return after your sister-in-law. 00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:36.800 But Ruth said, 00:20:37.600 --> 00:20:41.720 Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. 00:20:42.040 --> 00:20:43.820 For where you go, I will go. 00:20:44.120 --> 00:20:45.759 And where you lodge, I will lodge. 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:49.259 Your people shall be my people and your God my God. 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:51.520 Where you die, I will die. 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:54.559 And there I will be buried. 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:57.480 May the Lord do so to me and more also. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.059 Anything but death parts me from you. 00:21:01.819 --> 00:21:03.339 This is not to a husband. 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:04.480 This is to the Lord. 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:07.440 This is to her mother-in-law who was a mother to her. 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:10.700 One of the things I think is so powerful about this. 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:12.920 Sometimes people will say things that are derogatory like, 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.000 Oh, you only believe that because your parents believe that. 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:16.779 Or you only believe in God. 00:21:17.139 --> 00:21:17.960 Or things like that. 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:25.240 The sincere faith of a mother is a great reason to believe in God. 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:34.319 Ruth, her heart was so won over by the motherhood of her mother-in-law 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:39.279 that she so loyally not only served her God, but followed her. 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:45.420 She went on to marry Boaz, who is the great-grandfather of King David, 00:21:45.879 --> 00:21:49.500 who is the legacy in his lineage was Jesus born. 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:55.779 This woman whose heart was won over by her mother-in-law and her mothering 00:21:55.779 --> 00:22:01.700 was so persuaded, was so influenced by her that she believed in the God of Naomi. 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:05.340 And she went and married an Israelite. 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:09.100 And it was from her line that Jesus Christ himself was born. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.900 What a powerful legacy. 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:13.180 What a powerful legacy. 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.580 Naomi's legacy, Naomi's faith was passed down to Ruth, 00:22:18.080 --> 00:22:20.259 was passed down to Ruth and on and on and on, 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:21.299 all the way through the generations. 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:23.360 It was a beautiful, it's a beautiful, 00:22:23.620 --> 00:22:26.580 it's a beautiful example of a legacy of a mother 00:22:26.580 --> 00:22:28.440 that can really easily fly under the radar. 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:29.319 You know what I mean? 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:30.680 It can easily be swept under the rug. 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:37.440 John 19. 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:45.779 This also kind of flies under the radar. 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:47.680 This is one of the last things Jesus said. 00:22:49.420 --> 00:22:54.519 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple with whom he loved standing near by, 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:55.220 that's John. 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:58.519 The author of John always refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved. 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:02.940 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:04.619 he said to his mother, 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:08.059 Woman, behold your son. 00:23:09.079 --> 00:23:10.379 And then he said to the disciple, 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:12.379 Behold your mother. 00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:14.560 And from that hour, 00:23:14.780 --> 00:23:18.400 the disciple took her into his own home. 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:20.300 One of the last, 00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:22.260 this is the last thing, 00:23:22.600 --> 00:23:23.280 according to scripture, 00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:25.900 that Jesus had one of his disciples move. 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:27.680 And he, 00:23:28.020 --> 00:23:29.380 it essentially is 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:31.780 this adoptive power of mothering. 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:35.740 He had them to be as mother and son, 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:39.200 that he would take care of her after he passed away. 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:42.200 Jesus did not take his mother for granted. 00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:43.759 And the last thing, 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:44.539 according to scripture, 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.180 that he made, 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.500 he facilitated by way of his disciple, 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.559 was that his mother would be taken care of. 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:54.960 And I want to say to you women, 00:23:55.879 --> 00:23:57.359 Jesus is not taking you for granted. 00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:58.339 You mothers, 00:23:58.639 --> 00:24:00.460 the Lord is not taking you for granted either. 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:01.659 And he cares for you. 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:04.379 And he seeks that you would be taken care of. 00:24:08.460 --> 00:24:08.899 All right, 00:24:08.899 --> 00:24:10.700 this is going to be a short one. 00:24:11.399 --> 00:24:12.159 In closing, 00:24:12.419 --> 00:24:13.919 I just want to bring it all together 00:24:13.919 --> 00:24:14.659 and just say 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:16.740 that I think 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:18.560 for you mothers, 00:24:19.580 --> 00:24:23.240 for those of you who can relate 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:24.680 with feeling taken for granted 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:25.920 and for feeling invisible, 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:27.279 I just want you to know 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:28.920 that the Lord truly sees you. 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:30.800 The Lord truly sees you 00:24:30.800 --> 00:24:32.900 and the Lord truly considers 00:24:32.900 --> 00:24:33.920 your motherhood 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:35.220 completely indispensable 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:36.300 and incredibly, 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:37.259 incredibly valuable. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:38.480 And 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:40.200 any lie 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:41.200 that 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.100 is 00:24:42.100 --> 00:24:42.800 easy 00:24:42.800 --> 00:24:43.600 to creep in 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:44.799 that what you do 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:46.039 is not valuable, 00:24:46.419 --> 00:24:48.719 the author of the universe 00:24:48.719 --> 00:24:49.559 says otherwise. 00:24:50.059 --> 00:24:50.899 I want you to take that 00:24:50.899 --> 00:24:51.899 as an affirmation today 00:24:51.899 --> 00:24:52.980 of your motherhood 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:53.559 and the importance 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:54.199 of your motherhood. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:55.740 And also, 00:24:56.399 --> 00:24:57.259 in the weightiness 00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:58.419 and difficulty of motherhood 00:24:58.419 --> 00:24:59.079 and being pulled 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:00.079 in many different directions, 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:01.500 I want to also say 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:02.599 that 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:06.259 the oppressive perfectionism 00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:07.459 that can come about 00:25:07.459 --> 00:25:08.079 as a result 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:09.339 of the difficult role 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:10.059 of motherhood, 00:25:11.399 --> 00:25:13.319 the Lord wants you 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:15.139 to just choose him 00:25:15.139 --> 00:25:16.000 and have him 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:17.200 as your one great thing 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.980 and that that is enough. 00:25:19.439 --> 00:25:20.519 If you are doing that, 00:25:20.879 --> 00:25:21.899 that is enough 00:25:21.899 --> 00:25:23.439 and that's all you need. 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:24.700 You do not need anything else. 00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:26.899 And also, 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:27.759 you husbands, 00:25:27.980 --> 00:25:29.059 do affirm your wives. 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.599 Don't let them feel 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:31.399 invisible in things. 00:25:31.919 --> 00:25:32.619 Don't let them feel 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:33.319 invisible in things. 00:25:33.439 --> 00:25:34.379 Don't take them for granted. 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:36.040 And don't forget 00:25:36.040 --> 00:25:37.700 that it is very easy 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:38.180 for them 00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:39.540 to be oppressed 00:25:39.540 --> 00:25:40.900 of many issues 00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:41.920 and many criticisms 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:43.060 and many areas of life 00:25:43.060 --> 00:25:43.880 where it's really easy 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:44.700 to feel like you're bailing. 00:25:46.600 --> 00:25:47.040 Anyway, 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:49.380 I'm just going to close in prayer. 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.080 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:51.040 that it seems that 00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:51.040 00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:51.040 00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:51.040 00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:51.560 that it seems that 00:25:51.560 --> 00:25:52.580 that it seems that 00:25:52.580 --> 00:25:52.860 that it seems that 00:25:52.860 --> 00:25:53.580 that it seems that 00:25:53.580 --> 00:25:53.580 00:25:53.580 --> 00:25:54.360 that it seems that 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:55.120 that it seems that 00:25:55.120 --> 00:25:55.760 that it seems that 00:25:55.760 --> 00:25:56.880 that it seems that 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:56.880 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:56.880 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:57.660 that it seems that 00:25:57.660 --> 00:25:58.140 that it seems that 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:58.820 that it seems that 00:25:58.820 --> 00:26:00.200 that it seems that 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.200