Mothers' Moment

By Jennifer Pavlica

"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

"May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and may you live to see your children's children. " Psalm 128

Do you think that you compare to a fruitful vine? How about your kids? Do they compare to olive shoots? What does that mean, anyway?

What can be said about a fruitful vine? This one is pretty obvious. The vine is productive. I wouldn't say that this only applies to one aspect of wifehood (or motherhood, for that matter). It applies to all, and the result is the woman of noble character (Proverbs 31:10-31). A man is truly blessed when he has a wife who is productive, rather than sitting around the house all day reading books or watching T.V.

What can be said about olive shoots? The psalmist is talking about young trees here, in which can be envisioned promise of strength and productivity. Do you have dreams for your child's future? Does it seem impossible for your child to attain these dreams, no matter what you do?

This psalm gives a promise to parents. Fear the Lord (that is, have a reverential awe for him, which comes out of loving him), and walk in his ways (obey his commands), and he will give you the end result: children who show promise.