Happy Mother's Day
People love their mothers. People (even grown men) have been known to fight because somebody talked about their mother. Dads are great, but Baby Dragon would say, “Not the mama!”
Each year, I marvel at the long lines at grocery stores, flower shops, and even the dollar store. I look at the pop-up shops along major roads with Mother’s Day gift baskets. I even saw the post office delivering mail this Mother’s Day Sunday.
We know honoring mothers is not something that can be done in a single day. Flowers, balloons, and a card, once a year, simply can’t do it. True love and honor are on-going. Despite the commercialization, I still thank God for Mother’s Day- a day set aside to show appreciation to mom’s- like icing on a cake.
Moms do a lot. Many times, they raise their families without the support of a man. They feed, clothe, and nurture. They bandage up knees and wipe tears away. They help you with homework and scramble for answers when they don’t know them themselves. They go to work and then take care of the home. They let you move in when you hit a rough patch. Some pray for and encourage in the Lord. They do all this and more.
Mothers aren’t perfect, but they do the best they can. Regardless as to how they show up, they are perfectly who God created them to be. They are who they are, by the grace of God; just like you are who you are, by the grace of God.
You may have a strained mother/child relationship. Practice grace and forgiveness. Maybe, as a mother, you haven’t shown up the
done things you’re ashamed of, or maybe you’ve been negligent in some capacity. You can’t look your children in the eyes. You live under guilt and shame and hide behind a mask (when you have the strength to put one on). With the help of God, don’t live in the past. You can’t run this race looking back. Do what you can today. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it will be worth it. Do what your Heavenly Father commanded you to do- love. Be intentional. When you come to the end of your days, be able to say you strove to finish well.
If you’re on the other side of a strained mother/child relationship because your mother did not show up for you in the way you expected- practice grace and forgiveness. On any given day, your Mother could only act with the measure of wisdom and grace God gave her. She is a product of her bringing up, of her environment, of her capacity to reason and put things together, and of how Jesus made her. On any given day, she can’t see anything more than she can see. If Jesus wanted her to see more, He could give her more. It’s not an excuse; it’s not blame shifting; it’s just reality. It is what it is. As she learns better, she will do better by the grace of God.
You might feel like you r mom won’t own responsibility to do better. This is the way I look at it. We are all born in darkness. Sometimes we see but don’t see- meaning we only see in part. When we are truly able to see, as a woman of light, we will respond as a woman in light- spiritually, but also generally. This applies to all of us: your mother, you, me. We are who we are by the grace of God.
We all need grace. Mother’s Day is a day of grace. Our gracious God gave us mothers and He makes no mistakes but does all things well. So, whether honoring your mom and/or being honored as mom, may God continue to bless and keep you as you continue to be a blessing. Fight way you wanted to, maybe you’ve to finish well. Much love, Lovelies.
