Mother's Day 2020 is unlike any other one I have experienced in the 29 years of being a mom. This year we find ourselves wearing a face-mask, along with many different hats, due to Covid-19. Not only are we mothers, but we also find ourselves wearing the hat of "stay-at-home and work-from-home" employees, co-teachers of preschool, elementary, middle, or high school students. We have become treasure hunters, seeking out the once commonplace but now elusive toilet paper, hand soap, and sanitizer products. Maybe you've found yourself wondering, "How long can we make these rolls last, and will our family's supply hold out until this product once again surfaces in our local grocery store?"
In all seriousness, this is a difficult season to be a mom. On an average day, we are a significant source of information, answering countless questions: Do I have to wake up? Do I have to go to school? Do I have to eat this? Where are my clothes, my toys, my blanket…on, and on it goes. But today, many of us find ourselves fielding questions for which we do not have the answers: How long will this Coronavirus last? Am I going to get sick? When will the safer-at-home order be over? When can I play with or see my friends? What about prom or graduation? When will things be "normal" again? For mothers with school-age kids, "I don't know" is not a sufficient answer.
As a mother, I wanted to be able to answer my children's questions. I must admit there were times my answers were given in hopes that the questions would stop and my sons would return to playing with their toys, so I could finish the task at hand. However, there were also times when the questions my boys asked were genuinely curious, stemming from an earnest desire to learn and understand something about their world. Some of their questions came from a hurt or anxious heart. These were the questions I wanted to answer with wisdom, truth and assurance. I wanted my children to be comforted by my answers and to feel at peace. But kids ask the darnedest things, don't they? That's why I am so glad that we worship and serve the one true God, who has all the answers because He knows everything. Throughout the Bible, we learn all about God, who He is and His character. On Mother's Day I am especially thankful that God is omniscient.
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of "omniscient" is "having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things." That seems crazy, right? How can we know that God knows everything? Well, we know that God has always existed. God is eternal. Psalm 90 reads:
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God."
We read in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created…" God was here in the beginning and created all things. He does not need to "learn". God knows all things because He is the creator of all things. God is the beginning. While God's omniscient attribute is revealed throughout both the Old and New Testaments, Psalm 139 beautifully describes how God "knows" us:
"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether."
He knows the past, present, and future because there was never a time where God did not exist. Nothing that has happened or will happen comes as a surprise to God.
As mothers, we can take comfort in knowing that we do not need to have all the answers to our children's questions. But we do have the great responsibility of helping our children learn to depend on God and "trust" in Him, just as they depend and trust in us. Thankfully, God has provided us with the resources to answer our questions in the scriptures. During this "stay-at-home" time, we have an excellent opportunity to become more familiar with God's word, searching the scripture to understand Him more. So, when the hard questions come (and they will), we will know where to look for the answers. The Bible will always point us to the One who is in control of all things, at all times, forever and ever.
So Mothers, be encouraged! You do not have to know everything because you know and are loved by the One who has ALL the answers — the great I AM! Of all the responsibilities we have, of all the "hats" we wear, the one we should wear the most should be our "discipler" hat. After all, our number one job is to point the little hearts God has placed in our care, to Him!
