As a Mother Nurses Her Own Children

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

1 Thessalonians 2:7–8

On his second missionary journey Paul came to Thessalonica. He'd preached in the synagogue for only three Sabbaths when the Jews stirred up a riot, and he was forced to leave in the night. The new believers had only just been saved, and they were left behind in the middle of persecution. Later, people attacked Paul, saying he was a fraud, a people-pleaser, greedy for money, seeking his own glory. Chapter 2 is Paul bearing witness to his own ministry.

He says that as an apostle he could have demanded respect, but he chose another way: being gentle, not harsh, with no hidden agenda, not using his authority to push people down. A male apostle, and yet he used the gentlest picture of a mother to describe his ministry. "Nurse" here is like a hen sitting on her chicks, warming them with her own body heat. It's close, constant love.

He didn't just give a message. He was willing to give his own life too: his time, his energy, his tears and his safety. Right after that he says he exhorted people as a father does his own children. A mother's gentleness and a father's exhortation: Paul gave both. A spiritual mother doesn't rely on position and authority. She relies on gentleness and walking alongside. The motive is "because ye were dear unto us," not results, not reputation, and not the need to be needed.

Walking Alongside Means Being Present

A few days ago was my birthday. Someone asked my daughter, "What do you admire most about your mom?" She said, "My mom just walks alongside me." Lots of people ask me, how did you raise your kids so well? Honestly, there's no secret. I just walked alongside them every day, was present with them, the way God is present with us. My kids are all grown now, and I'm still walking alongside them all the time. My son is a surgeon. A few days ago he had a very difficult operation that went from six in the morning to eight at night, and things kept going wrong on the team, so I prayed for him all day.

The Mothers in the Bible Who Had No Title

When Naomi lost her husband and her two sons and came back to Bethlehem, she said, "Call me not Naomi (sweet), call me Mara (bitter)." She wasn't perfect. She was full of bitterness. Yet through her, God led her foreign daughter-in-law Ruth: "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Later Naomi held Ruth's child Obed in her arms, and Obed was David's grandfather. A spiritual mother doesn't have to wait until she has no pain of her own.

Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

Romans 16:13

The Bible doesn't record this sister's name, but it records her love. Even Paul, who wrote half the New Testament, needed a spiritual mother. A spiritual mother has no title and no name, yet she is remembered by God.