With Mother’s Day coming, it’s a good time to think about and honor our mothers, what it means to be a mother and why and how moms seem to “do it all.” Being a mother requires gentleness, patience and courage. They say it’s the hardest job there is — no days off — and once you become a mom, you always will be. There are millions of joys and just as many worries and heartaches. You will experience the fun splish-splash of your baby’s first bath, as well as the sorrow of tending to their first fever and boo boo. There will be their first day of school, Pre-K graduation and before you know it, your baby will graduate from high school and be off to college. There will also be a series of “lasts,” but you won’t notice at the time — the last time you rock your baby to sleep, the last time you pick them up to hold them and the last time they call out for you as “Mommy.” In between all of these milestones are the excitements of making new best friends and being invited to birthday parties, the heartbreaks of rejection and not making the team, the triumphs of getting a straight-A report card and kicking the winning soccer goal… and the disappointments of missing out.
Behind every child experiencing joys and triumphs, sorrows and disappointments, colds and boo boos is a loving mother caring for them, gently leading them in the direction they should go. We are there to carry and nurture our children through the good times, the bad and everything in between. To our children, we are rock solid, never falter and are the epitome of perfection. They place their trust in us without a thought, knowing we will always be there for them, because we are their mothers — regardless of our own joys and triumphs, sickness and health, sorrows and pain, hardships and challenges. Little do our children know that we have weaknesses, vulnerabilities and are far from perfect. Somehow though, we find the strength to carry on for our little ones, even when it feels impossible.
“He will take care of His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs together and carry them
in His arms; He will gently lead their mothers.” – Isaiah 40:11, GNT
As mothers, we often find ourselves wondering who is going to carry us through each day. How do we do it all when we ourselves need relief? How do we keep giving with nothing left to give? Most of all, why do we keep carrying on? We carry on, no matter the circumstances, because we love our children and families with all our hearts and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Love empowers us to keep our babies clean and fed, to drive our children to and from school and all their after-school activities, to help them with their homework and give them the right tools to guide them into becoming decent, loving people who can make a difference. We do all these things as we struggle with our own humanness — getting sick, working, paying bills, maintaining other relationships and so much more.
But how do we mothers seemingly do it all when it can feel so difficult at times? The answer, I believe, is that our “supermom powers” are not ours at all, but that God is our guide, gently leading us to care for our children just as He entrusted us to take care of them for Him on this earth. All those sleepless nights, God carried you as you swayed your baby to sleep. Every time you got sick at the same time as your children while you still tended to them just the same, God comforted you and provided healing. When there were big, life-changing decisions and you couldn’t possibly know the answers, God answered your prayers in subtle yet profound ways so that you just knew what to do. Just as our children place their innocent, childlike trust in us as their mothers to care for them, we can learn from and become more like them, trusting wholeheartedly that God is carrying and caring for us in our motherhood.
Think of some of the trusting mothers in the Bible: There was Hannah, who desperately wanted a child and prayed fervently to be a mother to a son, whom she would present to God. The Lord remembered Hannah’s prayer and she named her son Samuel, meaning “asked of God.” Hannah kept her promise and dedicated Samuel to God. “For this child I prayed; and the Lord has given me the request that I asked of Him.” Then, of course, there was Mary, Jesus’ mother. Her trusting “yes” changed the course of the world forever. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May Your word to me be fulfilled.” Even though the path would be difficult, both of these mothers trusted God’s judgment and they fully submitted to His care and will.
“As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” – Isaiah 66:13, NIV
We wish all the moms out there a blessed Mother’s Day. Remember to trust that God has you and your children’s best interests in mind and is gently leading you through all of life’s ups and downs, trials and triumphs, joys and sorrows. Just as you comfort your own child, God will comfort you.
Written by Jaclyn King
