No Light Matter

Dear Christa—

As the book of 2 Kings trips through one king after another, pacing through the history of Israel’s divided kingdoms, it is recorded how many years or months each king reigned, whether or not he followed God, and often who his mother was.

In that epoch, to be the queen mother was a powerful position. I think the listing of these names had more significance than simply clarifying which woman of the harem had birthed the newly crowned king. To be a mother was no light matter.

As these father kings were waging wars and tending to a plethora of wives, it seems to me it was on the knees of these mothers where the future kings were probably most influenced. And, apparently most of them didn’t do a very good job. King after king worshiped idols in the high places, some even sacrificing their children.

So powerful were these women that one, Athaliah (2 Kings 11), when her son died, proceeded to attempt to kill all her grandchildren in order to rule the nation, which she managed to do for six years.

And, except for just a very few, evil parents begot evil children, seeking power, prestige, and self indulgence—generation to generation until God had His fill and eventually both kingdoms were taken over by powerful, conquering nations.

Often mothers will delay their own ambitions to train a child. It seemed to me that with the birth of each child, some activity that I’d done was set aside. There simply wasn’t time. Some of those things I’ve taken back up; some I haven’t, but it had to be.

There is so much more to raising kids than providing for them and sharing the joys and sorrows. There’s the conscious teaching—teaching them Whom to worship.

To be a mother is no light matter.