Is it a happy Mother’s Day for YOU?
Happy Mother’s Day! Wait. Is it a happy Mother’s Day for YOU?
For some of us, it just isn’t a time of joy. For some, a loss of the mom who was a best friend is more than you can bear. For others who suffered under the hand (or words) of an abusive mom, you fight depression, or even anger on this day.
Maybe you have dreamed of being a mom, and this day stings. Every. Single. Year.
You may dread the moment where moms are honored at church, because you are reminded, once again, that infertility or the loss of a child has robbed you of this desire.
There are women who feel the shame of abortion, and this day pricks at a scar in their heart. And for the single woman, whether there is a desire for children or not, there is often the feeling of just being left out..
To each of you - We see you, and we weep with you. Most importantly, God, the Giver of your life, sees you and is near to your broken heart. (Psalm 84:13)
In light of this pain, why would a church even give mention to this day? Isn't it just a holiday that has been commercialized by greeting card companies? I hear that a lot. In some ways, I agree. However, I believe that when we shift our gaze beyond the commemorative observation on the calendar and look at the God who made the woman, it can be a help for us in celebrating motherhood.
We all have a mother. Each of our lives originated in the womb of a woman. We were knit together (Psalm 139:13) in this hidden place by God’s hand and by God's design . It has never been different: to be born as a baby is to be born of a woman. It was mandated at the beginning of time that the woman, Eve, would be the one to hold within herself the burden and blessing of motherhood.
This feminine body is uniquely designed by the brilliant Creator to hold space for the carrying and nurturing of new life. Though her rib was taken from man, her organs and her bone structure are not the same as his. They were made to hold space for mothering. Even her hormones, which affect the makeup of her brain, were artistically designed to cause her to care deeply and hold space for the help and nurture of another.
Ladies, we were created to hold space for others! With or without a child to hold, women were designed in their biology to help, nurture, reproduce, and invest in another life! When you couple that with the The Great Commission (Matthew 28) and the call for women to disciple women (Titus 2), you see that there is a mothering that ALL women are called to.
We are called, and even more exciting, we are equipped for it by God’s word! The stained and broken places in this life surrounding motherhood - death, abuse, loss, infertility, abortion, - are no match for the power of God’s word to work in you and through you! As the gospel calls us “members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19) and even points out to us that family isn’t just physical (Mark 3:33-35), motherhood holds a deeper meaning - a spiritual one!
The mission of motherhood, whether physical or spiritual…or both!, is a high calling!
On this Mother’s Day, let your hearts be filled with gratitude to God, who has called you and equipped you to do it for his glory. What a privilege!