Top 10 Bible Verses about Motherhood for Mother’s Day Cards and Letters

If you want to add a special touch to your Mother’s Day card or letter this year, consider including a meaningful passage from scripture about what it means to be a mother and the impact mothers can have on our lives. While the Bible is full of references to motherhood, the following ten verses are my favorites*.

1. Hebrews 12:11: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” This verse is an excellent introduction to expressing your thankfulness to your mother for how she raised you, which helped you develop into who you are today.

2. Proverbs 6:20-23: “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.” You can use this verse to thank you mother for her wisdom and guidance and remind her that you will always hold what she has taught you close to your heart.

3. Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-30: “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life … 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; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: ‘Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” This passage describes God’s vision for motherhood. Husbands, this verse is especially perfect for a Mother’s Day card or letter to your wife, the mother of your children.

4. 1 Timothy 1:5: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” While growing up, and especially during our teen years, many of us have probably felt, at one time or another, that our parents’ discipline was too strong or too strict. Over the years, however, we come to realize that our parents disciplined us because they loved us. Thank your mom for providing you with sound “instruction” even when it may have been difficult.

5. 1 John 3:18: “Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” This is a verse for the mom who has always communicated how much she loves you not just with her words, but also through her actions.

6. 1 Corinthians 13:13: “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Has your mother given you all three? Tell her so, with a thankful heart.

7. Proverbs 29:17: “Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.”

8. Psalm 139:13: “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”

9. Isaiah 66:13: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you …”

10. John 16:21: “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.” This verse is particularly fitting for a pregnant woman or a new mom.

No matter which Bible verse you choose to include in your Mother’s Day card or letter, your mom is sure to cherish it as long as you’ve written it from your heart.

*Please note: All the verses referenced in this article are from the New American Standard Bible published by The Lockman Foundation.