Mary Coleman: The worth of a mother

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Monday, May 7th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from member-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Today marks the start of a new work week and the start of a week that leads up to Mother’s Day. So, Mary, I’ll wish you an early happy Mother’s Day.

REICHARD: Well, thank you! I’m proud of my two young adults.

And I’d also like to congratulate our colleague Mary Coleman. Over the weekend her seventh child graduated from college. Seven for seven. Pretty impressive.

EICHER: Here’s Mary now with some thoughts on the real measure of a mother’s worth.

MARY COLEMAN, COMMENTATOR: We moms constantly try to gauge our success. Whether it’s the kind of parties we throw for our children or how well we keep house, each of us uses a measuring stick to determine our value.

One very common tool for determining our worth is money. Stay-at-home moms fall prey to this most, but working mothers also equate success with income. Sometimes our husbands contribute to our anxiety because they want us to maximize our earning potential.

I get it. And I know this may have nothing to do with greed. We simply want to give our children the best of everything. And if you haven’t found out yet, I can assure you that the older they get, the more money they need. No mom wants to be unable to provide for her children.

But I encourage you not to make your cash flow the measure of your success. Once and for all, take money out of the equation in determining your worth. Here are a few reasons why.

#1: Because your home is not a bank. Banks are in business to have lots of money. Families are in business to have lots of love. Measure your success by how much love you generate. Dole out hugs and words of affirmation. Laugh more and gripe less. Bake some cookies and pop some corn. More money cannot buy this joy.

#2: Because promotions and paychecks don’t always satisfy. Don’t assume that having a job guarantees you will be appreciated. Your boss and colleagues may actually make your life more miserable than your kids do! Besides that, a promotion often means your job will become more stressful. Money cannot buy peace.

#3: Because what you love most about your mom probably has nothing to do with her money.You treasure your mom for her sweet spirit and strong intellect. You appreciate her love for God, her sense of adventure, or how she uses her gifts to bless others. Rest assured that your volunteer service, your musical talents, or your patient suffering through hardship are all examples of faithfulness. Your children need this more than anything you can buy for them. Trust me. They will not talk about your pay grade at your funeral.

Finally, a mother’s work is priceless: Researchers say that moms should earn $100,000 per year for all we do for our families. While it’s affirming to hear that, it is still an attempt to monetize what has no price.

In God’s economy, your devotion to your family is an investment in souls. You are not just an employee performing duties. You are a servant of the living God, doing his Kingdom work. And while money is certainly a provision from God, hearing him say, “Well done, good and faithful mother” is far, far greater than coins.

For WORLD Radio, I’m Mary Coleman.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.