Mothers And Wives

Mothers And Wives

We don’t go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:5-6

After World War II, German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England, one of many casualties of the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed, debate broke out on how to best restore a large statue of Jesus with His arms outstretched and bearing the familiar inscription, “Come unto Me.” Careful patching could repair all damage to the statue except for Christ’s hands, which had been destroyed by bomb fragments. Should they attempt the delicate task of reshaping those hands?

Finally the workers reached a decision that still stands today. The statue of Jesus had no hands, and the inscription now reads, “Christ has no hands but ours.”^a

Over the years, we use our hands to point out many things to our children. While reading a book to a toddler, we point to a cow, asking, “What’s that?” While baking chocolate chip cookies with a daughter, we point to the recipe to determine how much sugar we need. While riding in the car with our student driver, we point to the upcoming exit ramp and suggest moving into the right lane.

Of all the things moms point their children to, nothing is as important to their well-being as pointing them to Christ. We point them to the Light of the World because we don’t want them to stumble in the darkness. We point them to the Bread of Life because we don’t want them to be spiritually hungry. We point them to the Savior because we don’t want them to live as slaves to sin. Nothing compares with the privilege of pointing our children to Christ.

God,

Thank you that you sent us light when you sent Christ—and thank you that you allow us to be your hands in this world. Please equip us for the privilege we’ve been given of pointing our children to Christ. In Christ’s name, amen.