Call me what you want, but don’t insult my mother! This was the code of ethics amongst kids where I grew up with. We didn’t have the electronic games of today, we were happy with a simple ball to play at home with our siblings, at school with our colleagues, or in the streets with our neighbours.
Many times the competition would get out of hand, the emotions would burst out and we would start cursing at each other. This was understood and accepted while the swearing wouldn’t affect our mother. In the moment someone would offend the other’s mother the fists would tighten and the punches would start flying.
We understood that the mothers were our origin, our essence, our first love, and to insult them was to surpass all acceptable limits. Even the littlest wouldn’t be afraid to fight the biggest in defence of his own mother. We have now grown and we aren’t kids anymore. Maybe our mother is now an old lady or even no longer with us. However that shouldn’t stop us from being outraged in defence of the mothers.
In a much more male dominant time and society, a time when women and children weren’t even taken into consideration, Jesus was not intimidated to value and defend them. We must follow the Master’s example and strengthen the fight against the verbal, physical, and psychological abuse to which present and future mothers are still being subjected to.
Mothers day shouldn’t only be once a year. For they must be respected and defended in the family, academic and working environment during the 365 days of the year. To remain indifferent to this cause is to allow that all the acceptable limits be surpassed. Call me what you want, but don’t insult my mother, or any mother!
- How do you value your mother?
- What do you do to respect and protect women?
(To honour the mother, Exodus, 20:12 / To defend women, John 8:7-11)
Commissioner Torben Eliason is the Territorial Commander of the Southern Africa Territory.