Have you ever thought about how often celebrities and dignitaries credit their moms when receiving an award? "First of all, I'd like to thank my mom . . ."
What is that all about? Why, at the height of recognition, do many turn to thank their moms?
You may never think about it, but every time you turn on a light bulb you can be thankful for an inventor by the name of Thomas Edison. He is credited with thousands of inventions. And do you know to whom he gave credit? The mom who homeschooled him!
My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint. Thomas Edison
I would say that Nancy Edison held a great position of power and influence in young Thomas' life, an inventor who greatly impacted our nation and even the world. And she lived in a period before the popular feminist movement—she died before women were even granted the right to vote!
If you study the history of feminism, much of the rhetoric centers around women's sense of powerlessness or the perception that they have less "power" than men.
But is that an accurate perception?
Consider these lines are from a portion of William Ross Wallace's poem written in 1865:
They say that man is mighty; he governs land and sea.
He wields a mighty scepter o'er lesser powers that be.
But the mightier power the stronger man from his throne is hurled.
For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.
The hand that rocks the cradle . . . rules the world?
Yep! And we have an up-close example of that kind of influential power in Scripture. In Proverbs 31 we are able to "sit in on" a mother-son training session. Jewish tradition states that this particular son-in-training was one of the most famous and successful rulers—known far and wide for his wealth and wisdom—King Solomon. This mom evidently made a powerful impact on the future king.
In the past fifty years, women may have obtained more "rights," but I don't know that those "rights" provide any greater power than that which comes from inspiring, motivating, and training their own children.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her (Proverbs 31:25–28).
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