It’s Mother’s Day.
Today sweet sentiments about moms are going to be plastered all over social media and television and America will celebrate motherhood. I am so thankful to have a mom who loved (and still loves me) well and whom I think the world of. I am thankful beyond words to have three children call me mom and get to spend my days with them. I am so thankful for what I have, and yet I realize that not everyone has this. This morning I’m thinking especially of those
who are having a tough time today, and I wanted to write something especially to you. I remember laying in bed for a few Mother’s Days, feeling like such a failure that I wasn’t who my kids deserved and so frustrated that I was stuck in a body that didn’t work right. It was a hard day for me because it reminded me of everything I was not. The enemy likes to remind us of everything we are not and everything we don’t have – he is a liar and a thief. Life is full of chapters, and when we are willing to grow and press into God even when it’s hard, they are just that – chapters – not the whole story.
If you are single mom today, I wonder if you have someone to celebrate you today. I know your kids love you; I know kids don’t always think of the details, like making sure mom gets thanked today. I know you do a million little things every day that nobody sees or knows about but you. You hold your family together and when the hard times come, it’s just you. If you let Him, it’s you and God. And that is always enough. I celebrate you today. I celebrate your tenacity to do the hard things you need to do for your children, often without support. I celebrate the love you give them in those million little ways and I am praying you feel held and cherished and appreciated today. You are superwoman. I often think of you military moms and others who hold down the fort while dad is absent, too. If someone hasn’t told you recently, thank you for all that you do – you are raising the next generation and your love, those hundreds of little things you do every day, is making a huge impact.
If your mom isn’t here this mother’s day, I am praying today is a da
y to remember the goodness and the beauty and an inspiration to take it forth into future generations. Your mom isn’t here but her legacy is. I am praying Grace over you today, that you feel held when it’s hard. And also free. Free from grief and regret and just overwhelmed with thankfulness that you had such an incredible woman who made such an impact on you. She didn’t just impact you. She changed the world because she loved you. Carry her love with you. The world needs it.
For you mama who has a child somewhere who doesn’t call you “mama”. You chose life for your child knowing it would mean you would miss all of their first milestones, that someone else would wipe away their tears and cuddle them to sleep, that you wouldn’t be the one to guide them though the valleys and join them on the mountaintop. You chose to entrust them with someone who could give them what you could not and in doing so, you made a tremendous sacrifice. A selfless one. I celebrate you and pray that you would feel held through any grief today may bring. May you see the beauty of redemption in the chapters to come and be free from any condemnation – you chose life and you chose love. You are a warrior.
If your mom wasn’t much of a mom at all and you are unsure of how to feel about this holiday, I am praying extra Grace over you today and a revelation of how deeply you are loved. Maybe you look at other moms and realize yours wasn’t what a good mom should be. You may even feel guilt for feeling that way. You know what? She gave you life! And if nothing else, the fact that she brought you here is worth celebrating today. You can honor her by learning from her mistakes and not carrying them or their impact with you into the rest of your life. Whether she planned you or not, God did. He has a specific purpose for your life that only you can fulfill. You are His dream come true. He is crazy about you. You are loved. Celebrate that today.
If you are not a mom but want to be and this holiday is hard for you because the deepest desire of your heart is to be called “mom” and it hasn’t happened yet, I am praying for you today. I pray the promises of God are stirred afresh in your heart and any hope that has dwindled is rekindled TODAY. No matter how long it’s been, how much money has been spent, how many things you’ve tried, or anything else the enemy has been whispering to your heart, you can rest and rejoice, starting now, because God is Healer, Restorer, Promise-Keeper, Joy-Giver. I am believing with you that you will hold your child and you will be called “mom”. It is God’s great pleasure to give you the desires of your heart and He is the Author of life. You can sing before you see it.
To you mama who has lost a child, this day may be just another painful reminder of what is missing and what should be that is not. I want you to know you are remembered today. Your child’s life made a difference, no matter how small the body that contained it. I pray you feel filled with the knowledge you are loved and held and a supernatural joyful expectation of a future brighter than the past. I pray you know that even though God doesn’t cause the pain, He is always there to walk you through it. He is God who can make diamonds out of ashes. May you feel at rest in His love for you today.
If you are a mom and you just feel discouraged, alone, or not enough, remember that your children were given to you and you have everything you need to do this thing called motherhood – and to do it incredibly well. You may feel like a failure, you may have room for growth, but Grace is there to meet you where you are and carry you higher. Do what you can each day, and trust God for a little more. Stop beating yourself up for what you are not and look at who He IS in you. You are more than enough because God is more than enough, and He provides out of the storehouse of HIS resources, not yours. When you feel lonely, He is your Comforter. When you feel overwhelmed, He is your very present Help. When you feel inadequate, He is always enough and He has just what you need. There is nothing you need that Jesus is not. If you don’t yet know Him personally, today is the best day to start and I’d love to introduce you to the One who has changed everything for me.
If your mom is alive and she loves you, take time to make sure she knows what a gift that is today. That is such a GIFT! Don’t forget her today and don’t take her for granted. There are a million things she’s done for you that you will probably never know about, each one fueled by love. There are a million prayers she’s prayed for you when you were oblivious and doing your own thing. If she is here, celebrate her today. For most moms, it doesn’t take much. We like to hear just a little something from your heart and that’s pretty much all it takes to make our hearts full to bursting.
Moms. None of us are perfect. We do the best we can with what we have at any given moment and hopefully we are willing to apologize often and choose to grow even when it’s hard. We may seem like we’ve got this down (or should have it down), but there is still a little girl inside of us who is growing and learning who she is, even as we raise you. When we act less than perfect, please be gracious with us. We love you with all that we are. You are the beat of our heart and the sunshine in our day. Yours is the face we look for in every crowd. We love you no matter what and nothing could ever change that. We want our ceiling to be your floor. We want you to be everything God created you to be.
No matter who you are or how you feel about today, you are loved and you have a mom who gave you life. That is a good reason to celebrate.