And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:20 NKJV

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 NKJV

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jer. 31:3). These are the words that God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah that remind us of His unconditional love. A mother’s love for her child is also a reflection of unconditional love. Your mother loved you, carried you in her womb, breastfed you, provided you, protected you, and was committed to you in spite of you.  Because of a mother’s enduring love, many refer to their mothers with a term of endearment by simply calling her “mama.” 

Eve, the first wife and mother–even before ever given birth to children–was prophetically given her name by her husband, Adam (Gen. 3:20). Her name means “mother” and “life-giver.”  Informally, some call their mothers mom or mommy. But when you call your mother “mama”—this is a term of endearment for the woman who brought you into this world or the one who raised you, regardless of whether she is your biological/birth mother.

The fifth of the Ten Commandments teaches us to honor our mother, i.e., to prize, to revere, to value, and to highly regard her. Even if mama didn’t do a very good job nor lived right, God still calls for us to respect our mother, notwithstanding disagreement with her. When you honor and respect your mother, you are obeying God and exalting Him above your mother. But to dishonor your mother is to dishonor yourself and God.

Ephesians 6:1-3 outlines the blessings of honoring your mother with promises of quality of life and living a long life.  A mother is in-separately tied to the life of her offspring (Gen. 3:20; Jer. 1:5) and impacts your life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (2 Tim. 1:5). Only a “fool” dishonors his mother (Prov. 15:20). Love, honor, and respect your mama!