Happy Monday! Let me step right into the proverbial hornet’s nest this morning by introducing a celebration that happened yesterday. On March 5, 1934, the first recorded celebration of this individual occurred. In the 1970s, the American Society of Florists made it official. The last Sunday of October is National Mothers-in-Law Day. Did you remember to celebrate YOUR mother-in-law?
Cue the jokes, eye rolls, and sarcastic guffaws!
For some reason, the title “mother-in-law” is typically not a badge of honor. Mother-in-law jokes abound and they are less than flattering. A Psychology Today article from June 8, 2025 is titled I Hate My Mother-in-Law. That grabs you, doesn’t it? It was actually a letter written by a reader expressing her contempt for a mother-in-law that interjects unsolicited parenting advise contrary to what the mom is doing. This article could run parallel to a January 4, 2025 article in Learning Mind titled My Mother-in-Law Hates Me. Many other articles use the term “toxic” when describing the mother-in-law relationship.
I don’t think these people celebrated National Mothers-in-Law Day, do you?!?
This is a subject we often overlook in the Bible simply because it isn’t spelled out in such a way as to grab our attention. But think about this. There was Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah (and Leah), Jacob and Rachel, Mr. & Mrs. Job, David and Bathsheba, Hosea and Gomer, Mary and Joseph, Aquilla and Priscilla, Peter and Mrs. Peter. For every marriage you read about in the Bible, there were also mothers-in-law. And think about Solomon in 1 Kings 11:3. “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines…” That means 1,000 mothers-in-law!
I’ve heard plenty of stories from others about mothers-in-law that were less than a blessing. Meddling, interfering, manipulating, demanding, and controlling – those are some of the nicer words that have be used. Being bound to a mother-in-law through marriage has been problematic for many through the years.
Some may point to Luke 12:53 as the cause of the familial division. “The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” This division, though, doesn’t come from strained family relationships. It comes from a division over walking with the Lord. Families can be divided if everyone isn’t spiritually on the same page.
Instead of knocking the mother-in-law, let’s celebrate and recognize the good that can come out of the relationship. You have someone else who genuinely loves your spouse. You have the benefit of their wisdom. The family has grown so there are more people with whom to share the special moments in life. And, you usually have eager and free babysitting services!
One of the best Biblical daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationships that can be found is Ruth and Naomi. Read the story again. Naomi wasn’t always a joy to be around but pay special attention to how Ruth responded. The relationship grew and Naomi was changed by the grace of God, resulting in a powerful message in Ruth 3:1. May all the in-laws seek to model this attitude and behavior with each other.
“Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?”
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