"When Bad Girls Become Moms" by Rev. A. Lamar Torrence, Pastor of Cross of Life Lutheran Church
1 Kings 3:17
I yet believe that the church, holder of the keys to heaven, is call to lead the world during this century. We, the bride of Christ, are to process down the isle of time, bringing new revelations of the Godhead to those standing on the sidelines. We are to be an intercessor for the sinner, a reconciler for the unforgiven, and the way home for lost. We are called to be the moral conscious of our society; the decision-makers of Christendom. The church is to hold that standard by which all humanity measures its self worth and moral actions. People will look to us for faith in times of uncertainty and hope in times of despair. The eyes of the world are upon us. We are being watched.
People from every walk of life are looking for the truth. They want to know the real deal. They want to know where they stand in the eyes of Lord. We often ask them the questions, “Are you on the Lord’s side?” But they want to know whether or not God is on their side? Is he still sovereign and sitting on the throne? Does he care and will he intervene? Inquiring minds want to know was the real deal with God and we must address their concerns. We must answer their question. Our heads can no longer be buried in the sands of indifference. Our ears can no longer be filled with a pretense of secluded deafness. We must loosen our tongues from their fearful silence speak solutions to the issues facing this generation. To reach them our dialogue must be real, relevant, and hardcore. Talking about sheep, fish, and mustard seeds will not reach today’s average dope pusher, junkie, and prostitute. Real life issues require real answers and not religious rhetoric and old cliches.
This is the situation in our text. We see hardcore people dealing with a tough situation and seeking a real solution. Two mothers come into the presence of King Solomon looking for answers to their plight. Each of them was a prostitute who worked the red light district. Each caught a work-related illness and had a baby out of wedlock. However, one died of being pressed by his mother while sleeping. You see they were too poor to have baby cribs and in order to protect their infants from ghetto rats, “they kept the babies at their side.” Now, each of two women insisted that the living baby was hers and Solomon had to judge who the true mother was.
Spiritual interpretation reveals that this biblical event serves as a paradigm for the modern church confronting tough issues. King Solomon represents what the church should be – the royal priesthood, rich in grace, heirs to the throne, using its God given talents to wisely lead humanity towards a better society. The two prostitutes symbolize the world in which we live– sinful in nature, lost in lust, and constantly in conflict. Here, we get a glimpse of what should happen when the saved encounters the unsaved. And like Solomon, we the saints must to intercede in the lives of hell raising sinners.
Like the prostitutes who came to Solomon, the world is invading the church. Those issues that we once thought would never affect our lives are now popping up on our doorsteps. AIDS, premarital sex, drug abuse, and crime are affecting us in suburbia. Furthermore, many of these current issues bring theological questions that are not always biblically clear. Every situation is not just black and white. There are gray areas. Thus, like the argument presented to King Solomon by the women, it is not always clear who’s right and who’s wrong. There are sound arguments to support the religious right as well as the liberal left. There are enough scriptures to support both the pro-lifers and pro-choice advocates regarding the issue of abortion. Physicians and theologians have debated before us regarding the humanity of euthanasia. Modern science and psychology are producing substantial evidence to consider same-sex relationships as viable unions before God. And, with STD’s, AIDs, and teen age pregnancy rates, advocating the use condoms may be more realistic and logical than teaching abstinence. These are the issues and the issues are tough.
So, one of the first lessons we learn from the lives of these bad girls turned moms is that we must take notice at the issues around us. For if we do not ignorance will give birth to conflict and chaos in our lives. Look at the text. These two women had to function as their own midwives and caretakers. Family had forsaken them. Friends had left them. They stand in a courtroom with no witnesses to support their claims. No one took notice of their situation. No one cared enough to get involved. None of their neighbors seem to have seen the babies born to these poor women. No one seems to have stared long enough at these newborn infants to tell them apart. They were just two more junkies giving birth to crack babies, two more teenagers getting pregnant before their time, two more mothers abandoned by men who couldn’t handle the responsibility.
These women faced the problem we are dealing with today: We have become so accustomed to seeing poverty, crime, and injustices that we no longer take any notice and get involved. Unless you’re famous and wealthy, no one takes interest in your personal tribulation. One poor child now looks like another. An infant in Hale House now resembles those in the remote regions of China, Africa, and Russia. The abundance of suffering and pain has made us an apathetic, insensitive people. We now tolerate that which we should work to change. We tolerate the homeless in our train stations. We are unemotional to drug abuse and crime we see everyday. Until it affects us, we turn a blinded eye and ignore the pain we see. Think about it, when was the last time you gave a homeless person something to eat or clothes to wear. When was the last time, you offer to help a starving child or bed ridden elder? When was the last time you hugged a person with AIDS or mentored a child that was not your own? We must take notice of the plight of others around us.
The next lesson that these bad girls turned moms teaches us is that we must not let our burdens - our sins destroy our children. The text tells us that one of these women lay on her child and killed it. Her weight smothered her child. Her burdens killed her baby. So many parents today laid their burdens upon their children. They don’t intentionally do it but it is done. This generation of youth has so many heavy issues laid upon them by us. They are forced to deal with our troubled marriages and broken relationships. They must cope with our verbal abuse and sometimes witness our infidelities. They see our addictions and the monkeys our own backs. And no matter what goes on in our lives, no matter how tough it gets for us, we should see to the welfare of our children. Just because you are a social misfit and a mess up does not mean that your child should follow in your footsteps. I’ve known alcoholics who were too drunk on Sunday morning to still send their children to Sunday school and church. I’ve known prostitutes to still make sure that their child had the best clothes; the best education, and things, money could afford them. In other words, our demons do not have to be our children’s demise. If we are struggling with a tough situation, we should not burden their lives with it. Don’t let your stress strangle your son. Don’t let your depression get your daughter down. Don’t kill your baby.
Then, we learn from these women the important to always be alert. One of these mothers has her child stolen in the night while she slept. Many of us are sleeping on our children. We are unaware of the issues going on in their lives because we are caught up in ourselves. We are too busy hustling for money – prostituting ourselves because corporate America – that our children are being stolen for us. There are some parents in Littleton Colorado still wondering how their children got a hold to guns and bombs. If we continue under the pretense that it can not happen to us, drugs will steal some child away. Teen-age pregnancies will away our daughters. Suicide may creep in and snatch a young life away. We must be sober and watchful of our young people lives.
Finally, as we stand guard over the lives of our young people, we must use the same measure of wisdom displayed in our text. King Solomon is forced to make a judgement concerning these two women and the remaining living infant. The wrong decision will cause an innocent child to be in the hands of guilty criminal. Solomon decides to tests the spirits of the women before him. He calls for sword and commands the child to be cut in half. He uses his sword to draw out the truth in the character of these two prostitutes. A true mother will not want to see their child killed before their eyes. Well, this should reminds us that we too have access to weaponry when we need to make a decision. We too have use of a sword that will try the spirits. Moses calls it the sword of God’s excellence whereby our enemies shall be found liars. Paul calls it the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Word of God itself will reveal truth of a situation. In other words, instead of relying on Barney, Sesame Street, Hubby Tubbies, and even Dr. Spock to teach morality to our young people –we need to trust in God’s word. Use his scriptures. If we are willing to surrender our families to the word of God – he will take care of them.
That’s the final lesson given from the lives of these bad girls. There will come a point in our lives where we will have to surrender of children to the care of God. The true mother in our text has to decide whether to lose her child to her enemy or see the child destroyed. She has to decide whether to allow her love for her child turn into one of ownership and possession or trust and maturity. She tells Solomon, to give her enemy her child and in no wise slay it. She is willing to turn over that which she loves the most in order to preserve its life. There will come a point in every parent’s life where they have to cut the apron strings. Like a mother eagle that pushes her baby out of the nest, we too take a chance that those who we raised will either stretch their wings and fly or stumble and die.
If we raise our children in the faith, nurtured them in God’s word; no matter what circumstance come their way – we must have the faith that God will care for them. They may backslide. They may be like the prodigal son and commit all manners of sin. But the word of God will help to bring them to their senses.
The Word of God will be a light unto their path. The word of God will guide their steps. That’s something to be glad about. That’s something to give God praise. That’s something to glorify his name. Amen and Amen.
