Mother May I

The character of Mother Goose initiated the genre of nursery rhymes for children, when they were first published by Charles Perrault in 1697; however, the author remains anonymous. It was theorized by Katherin Elwes-Thomas, as being a collection of fairy tales spun by the wife of King Robert II of France, who was called, “Berthe La Fileuse”, meaning “Goose-Footed Bertha”, because she could enrapture children with her fictional stories, though she may have been the main character in them. Mother Goose has appeared in songs and pantomimes tracing as far back as 1806. The term Mere l’Oye, aka Mother Goose story, has been a well known and readily understood reference since the seventeenth century. The list of nursery rhymes spans over one hundred stories, yet there are several that have to do with nurturing of the family, children, mothers, and many more. These nursery rhymes hold a special place in our hearts as our children are growing up, because they are a way to communicate to little ones who have not yet learned how to navigate complex principles, issues of life, and communication; however, this status, though a precious time, will pass.

It is thought that the expression ‘Mother May I’ was first heard in the United States in the early twentieth century. It was first used to describe a children’s game. Though it was seen in print as early as 1916, it did not become popular until the 1930’s, when it was included in several children’s books. Since that time, the expression has taken on a more derogatory connotation. The trusty rusty internet states, “The phrase is often used to describe a situation where someone is asking permission for something they should already be able to do or have access to. In some cases, ‘Mother May I’ is used when describing a person lacking the confidence to make decisions on their own. This can be seen as a weakness and may be viewed negatively by others. Additionally, the term can be used to describe situations where someone is seeking permission for something that is inappropriate or unethical. For example, if someone were to ask, “Mother May I cheat on this test?” it would be seen as a violation of the rules and an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Overall, the term Mother May I, is often used in a negative context to describe someone who is either too reliant on authority figures or who is attempting to gain an unfair advantage through manipulation or deception. While it may be used in a playful manner among friends, it is important to be aware of the potential negative connotations associated with this phrase and to use it appropriately.”

We know that mothers are known as such because they have produced offspring. In the Old Testament, in Genesis 3:20 we read, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Also note that Sarah was known as Sarai before she had children. In Genesis 17:15-16 we see, “And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” We are not given the title of mother until we have children physically, and this correlates to the church in the spiritual sense as well.

Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” The Church is first known as the Bride of Christ, and then known as the mother because they will reproduce and nurture their offspring. A loving relationship will lead to reproduction, which is God’s plan. John 15:7-9 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be my disciples. As the father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”

When the Word of God is preached and taught, it takes root in the hearts of the hearers, allowing faith to begin to grow. They are then touched by His Spirit, and something is birthed within the saints, aka the mother, and offspring are produced. By telling others and being a witness to the transformation that has happened to them, they begin to see others come to their services, hear the word for themselves, and receive the new birth experience. Then the cycle of conception and reproduction should continue when the body is healthy, both physically and spiritually speaking. Romans 7:4 states, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Barrenness was considered a curse in the Old Testament. It was unacceptable, punishable, and was subject to mocking and disgrace. Women in those days pleaded for children as did Rachel in Genesis 30:1, “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, give me children, or else I die.” 1 Samuel 1:6 speaking of Hannah, says, “And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.” We must beware of spiritual barrenness because it is not pleasing to the Lord. Matthew 25:30 says, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” However, there is a gestation period and a season for everything under the sun. The gestation period begins with the mother, aka the church, lovingly carrying the child in the womb, those who have been invited to church and have been witnessed to but have not yet made any initial steps toward coming to the Lord yet. Part of the process is for the mother to take care of herself as well, so that a healthy child can be born into a healthy environment. The waiting period can be long and arduous, but it is all worth it in the end. In the meantime, I Corinthians 9:27 tells us, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” And Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

We must be careful during this season to not be found guilty of spiritual abortion. An unborn baby cannot be taught or learn things as they will be able to after they are born. Matthew 18:6 says, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it was better for him that a millstone was hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Romans 14:1-4 tells us, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eats herbs. Let not him that eats despise him that eats not; and let not him which eats not judge him that eats: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judges another man’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Babies do not know the what, when, where, or how of any given subject, nor do they have the capability of making sound decisions.

After the gestation period comes the travail or labor and all the birth pains that go with it, affectionately called contractions, or ‘major ouches,’ to those who have experienced them. We need to be full term and healthy ourselves, so that everything can go smoothly for us to not have a still birth, or an unhealthy, or a mentally or physically impaired child. Prayer and fasting are key to travailing for a new spiritual baby in the Lord. John 3:3-5 tells us, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” It is a wonderful feeling to see a soul born again of water and the Spirit. John 16:21 says, “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” Wow, this is so true, after a few days, or months, I would add as a mother of four! LOL

However, the journey of parenthood has just begun. Nurturing that little one is the next process and ministry we step into. We must not be found guilty of abandoning our babies. Acts 2:38 tells us, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” They are born into the family of God, and thereby take on the family name, which is Jesus, then they must begin to grow and mature in Him. 2 Peter 1:4-8 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, adding to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge, And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” After a time of growth, the cycle will begin again. Maybe not by you at that moment, but as the collective ‘mother’ aka ‘the church,’ it should be continuous.

Another important aspect in this equation to note is that God is the Shepherd, aka the Heavenly Father, with the Pastor being the Under Shepherd and the Father figure to the spiritual babies here on earth. Keep in mind, the sheep of the flock begat sheep, not the Shepherd. The Pastor, has his role and responsibility to lead, guide and feed the flock, but he is not the mother, nor is he God. He is a mouthpiece for the Shepherd. God’s directives may sometimes seem rough and harsh, because he gets straight to the point, and he does not mince words. He commands us to obey and expects us to do so. However, he shows us our boundaries and explains what they are for and why they are there. He is not trying to trick us. In Ezekiel 18:4 God said, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die.” We see in the New Testament, in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” These are direct and straightforward words.

God’s word is the final authority in our lives, and the Under Shepherd as well as the saints, aka the church or the mother, should always keep this in mind. There is no override button for what God commands us to do. 2 Timothy 12:7 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Ephesians 4:11-12show us that there are various roles to be filled in the church. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

The Pastor, Preacher, aka Under Shepherd or father to the flock, should preach the Word without fear or favoritism, straight and to the point, because it cannot and should not be changed. It shows the commandments and requirements of God. The pastor should preach and teach out of love for souls, telling them what the consequences are of not obeying the Word, as well as what the benefits and blessings are of obeying it. Though fathers are not usually nurturers, not able to sugar coat things, and are not often gentle or soft, the mother, aka the church, are there when there is a misunderstanding or feelings get hurt, that need to be tended to. Yet the scripture exhorts the pastors in Titus 2:15, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” They have a direct purpose and job to fulfill.

Fathers and mothers, males, and females, are wired differently. My kids used to say as they got older that their dad was ‘justice,’ and I was ‘mercy.’ It was not a preconceived or learned way of raising them, just an innate characteristic that is in all our DNA. Fathers are usually the hunters and gatherers and are always looking at the bottom line, looking toward their next big conquest, but mothers are there working and multitasking behind the scenes. Mothers should not get in the way of the final authority, aka, the Word of God. Sometimes a ‘Mother May I,’ or a ‘nursery rhyme,’ is not what is called for, but a rebuke, or a straightforward word is needed. The mother must learn to trust and submit to the Lord, the Pastor, and the Word. Hebrews 12:7-11 says, “If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Discipline is often necessary for learning, and it stems from the root word ‘disciple.’

Though the pastor is the shepherd and father figure to the new saints, babes in Christ, they will turn to the mother, aka, the church, and most often to the one who witnessed to them directly, and invited them to church, for guidance. No matter what status of life we are from, we all learn by example. They are watching us. We must therefore be loving and kind and show forth the characteristics that they will need to aspire to, for instance, the fruit of the Spirit. They will not do everything just right all the time, right off the bat. Our new babies physically eat, sleep, and mess their diapers for months before they ever begin to roll over, sit up, crawl, or walk. They start to babble and respond in their own way before they ever learn their first word. Much patience and understanding must go into nurturing a newborn. We must allow them to grow at their own pace and give them grace even has God has given grace to us. 1 Peter 2:2-3 says, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

The spiritual mother conveys principles in bite sized pieces, just as a mother does when she tells the Mother Goose nursery rhymes to her natural born children as bedtime stories. If the preacher has given an in-depth word that is not understood, it is not to be contradicted, if it is the Word, it is immutable; however, it can be explained further to those who are struggling to understand so they will not lose heart or become offended. This often falls on the mother to do. Hebrews 6:1-3 tells the new ones, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 says, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” Children often look at their mothers for comfort when they are sick. We should be ready to ‘apply a band aid,’ give a little pat on the back,’ pour the ointment’ or ‘give an encouraging word’ to the little ones. James 1:19 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” A mother has a way of being firm, yet gentle. What we say should reinforce the word, not change it. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Psalms 119:89 states, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

To be a successful parent, we must make a believer out of our kids. We should not be wishy-washy or double minded, because this only causes confusion. Your parenting method cannot be, “Do as I say, and not as I do.” In a spiritual context, it is imperative that they know that the Word of God has the final say, and that they see us living what we are preaching. We need to teach the new converts, aka our spiritual children, how to study and digest the Word for themselves, just as we begin to teach our natural child how to feed themselves. We show them how to reproduce and nurture others by our example. Luke 10:30-34 gives us the prototype that we now know as ‘The Good Samaritan’, “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked at him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

Remember when a new saint asks you, a fellow seasoned saint, aka the mother, ‘Mother May I’, we do not have to rely on trying to make answers up on our own, but we helps and supports in place, such as the Shepherd which is God, the Under Shepherd which is the Pastor, and more importantly we have the Manual, which is the Word of God. Yes, contrary to widespread belief, babies do come with a manual. Titus gives us a few tidbits to share with them in Titus 2:1-10, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, [and] to please [them] well in all [things]; not answering again; Not purloining but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

We see several examples in the scripture of Godly mothers who gave direction to their children. In the Old Testament we read in 2 Kings 22:1-2, how Jedidah, the mother of Josiah, a young boy crowned king at eight years old, was incredibly involved in raising, instructing, and advising him. Genesis 27:10 tells us how Rebekah, the mother of Jacob, advised him on immediate and important matters in his life. In the New Testament, we read how that Mary the mother of Jesus prompted Him to perform his first miracle in John 2:1-5. And we see in Acts 18:24-28 an example of spiritual parents at work. “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he had come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”

There will come a day when children become adults and will also begin to reproduce, in a physical and spiritual sense. However, we ‘the church, aka the mother,’ must be ready for those times when the new ones will still come to us with a ‘Mother May I’ question, in need of advice. Keep in mind the original description of the ‘Mother May I’ statement. They may just be feeling insecure and need reassurance, or they may be trying to get you to say ‘yes, it is okay to do or not do this or that’, when they already know the answer, but they may be trying to gain an unfair advantage, a privilege, or justification for their actions. Children can be sneaky. Yet, it is important for us to allow them grace and let them know we are all in this together, and we are all growing and learning together daily. Paul says it this way in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.” Parenting and ministry are not always easy, and the roles change as the children get older, but God will always give us the right things to say if we ask and rely upon Him.

The process of giving birth, nurturing, growing up, living, growing old, and dying, are all a part of the ‘cycle of life.’ It does not always add up into a beautiful equation when we as humans try to make sense of it all; however, our Creator knew what he was doing at creation, and has it all under control now. At the end of his life, King Solomon stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” So, since this is the conclusion of the matter, let us embrace our roles in life, and in the Kingdom of God until we receive our final reward. 1 Peter 1:8-9 lets us know, “Who having not seen, (Jesus), ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”