Happy Mother's Day!
My husband, who is a pastor, inevitably asks me to speak on this particular Sunday each year. As the mother of five and "Marmee" to seven, I guess that my Godly husband supposes that I have learned a thing or two over the years about mothering.
I am always honored yet humbled that he asks me to fill his pulpit on the occasion of this chiefly feminine celebration; however, I always approach it with just a bit of reserve in my heart.
You see ... this is what I know ... Mother's Day is a precious yet complicated holiday.
If you are a mom and are currently up to your neck in the delight of mothering, the event known as "Mother's Day" is probably mostly sweet. It gives you, in theory, a day off from the dishes, laundry and meal planning.
You might be served breakfast in bed ... but the kitchen will be a mess. Your husband may give you the afternoon off from taking care of the children ... but who knows if your children will survive that afternoon of maternal leisure? It's complicated.
If you are a mom and your children have grown and left home, the second Sunday in May presents an opportunity for some precious memories and yet for some gigantic regrets. When empty-nest moms prepare their hearts for Mother's Day, it is always with a slow sigh and with the recognition that a portion of a mama's heart has been set aside for that which is bittersweet. It's complicated.
If you have never been a mom, you wonder if you should stay home from church this singular Sunday. Your arms and your heart have remained painfully empty year after year after year. Dealing with infertility or singleness can turn this precious day into a painful day. It's complicated.
However, this is what I do know and have learned ... motherhood, as wonderful and as fulfilling as it is, is not the highest goal for a woman. The most noble goal and deepest prayer for any of us, mother or not, should be the all-consuming desire to simply be like Jesus.
If you are a mom, God will use motherhood to conform you to His beautiful image. He will use the hands-on years of mothering to help you to die to self and to become more like Him. What could be better than that?
If you are an empty-nest mother, God will use this season in your life to make you more dependent upon His power and His strength. You will learn the sweet joy of looking back at your years of mothering with great thanksgiving, and you will also learn the life-changing choice of giving your regrets to Him. What could be better than that?
If you are still waiting for children, God the loving Father will reveal Himself to you in the painful moments of your wait. You will learn to wait with hope and to pray with faith. What could be better than that?
If you have never had children, you will find that God is more than enough to fill the empty places in your heart. When we don't get our way and long for something that continually eludes us, He gives Himself to us in ways that we would otherwise not know or experience. Now, what could be better than that?
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