I don’t know about your situation with your mom. Mom and child relationships run the gamut from wonderful to terrible, sometimes in the same family. Moms come in all shapes and sizes, all colors, and all of them have eyes in the back of their heads. Sometimes moms are kind and loving, and some moms (especially those who didn’t receive much love as children), don’t know how to love, or to express the love they do have. In our increasingly single world, sometimes dads have to be moms, just like moms have to be dads.

    Some of us are blessed to have, or to be, great moms. My mom is a great mom, and the best thing I can say as a salute to her is this: “Mom was there!”

    As a single mom with two little preschool boys, she did the best she could. With God’s help, and because of her faith in God, she did great. My (step) dad and two brothers still depend on her to this day. If you want to read about my mom in more detail, see Proverbs 31. When we were sick, she sat up with us all night. She held our foreheads when we threw up. She made cookies at the last minute as a treat. She taught me to read the Bible. She coached me to stand and speak before a group. She edited my papers, made me study, instructed me, and gave me chores to do. She trained me to speak well, stand up straight, shine my shoes, and every year bought me a brand new suit at S&Q Clothiers in Enid, Oklahoma. Once, I stole a pack of gum from the grocery store. She made me return it AND give them the nickel it cost. Thanks for five cents worth of character, Mom. You’re the best.

    A lot of moms read Heartlight, and I have a special word of encouragement for you: Do the best you can, and God will be with you. Sounds trite doesn’t it? It seems to make little sense when the house is a mess, you’re broke, or your kids have said and done things that literally break your heart. Sometimes the price of love is a lethal mixture of self-doubt and heartbreak.

...you’ll continue to love because you are a mom.

    Moms live on prayer, faith, hard work, and hand lotion. Sleep? What’s that? “Thank you mom!” who hears that? New moms begin motherhood filled with anxiety to “do it right.” They have great expectations for their children; there is so much hope, so much excitement at the beginning of a mom’s journey. That can certainly change over the years. As a mom there is no guarantee that the love you give will be returned in the way you want it to be. But, there is something I DO know; you’ll continue to love because you are a mom.

    I am extremely blessed that my mom is still alive and well, but that’s not true for everyone. I know someone whose mother passed away just a few months ago. I feel the grief and loss that are still fresh for her and her family. Even if you are an adult, the pain and loss are very real. Even if you’ve lost your mother, I want to tell you the ways in which she is still here:

    She lives forever in your memory.

    She lives forever in the very genetic makeup of your body.

    She lives in the ways she helped shape your heart and spirit.

    She lives in the way you treat your family.

    She is in your smile, and in your laugh, and in the tears in your eyes. She lives in you, and wants you to know Christ, be strong and well, and find a measure of joy and contentment.

    If you’re mom is still alive, tell her thanks for all she is and all she’s done.

    If this Mother’s Day is the first one without her, ask God to take good care of her, and look forward to seeing her again.

    We love you Mom.

    - Cary

 

Print this Article Send it to a Friend Heartlight encourages you to share this material with others in church bulletins, personal emails and other non-commercial uses. Please see our Usage Guidelines for more information.	Mother's Day Cards, Gifts, and Articles
	ALL of Heartlight        --- ARTICLES   A Taste of Home   Caring Touch   Diary of God   Hope from the Hill Country   Just for Men   Just for Women   Leading in Hope   Love, Sex & Marriage   Making Life Work   Prayer for the Nation   Single...Not Alone   Special Features   Timely Truths   Together in His Grace   Two Minute Meditations        --- DEVOTIONALS   Charles Spurgeon   Daily Wisdom   My Utmost for His Highest   Praying with Paul   Quotemeal   Today's Verse   What Jesus Did

©2003, Cary Branscum. Used by permission.

Title: "Mom Was There - Proverbs 31"
Author: Cary Branscum
Publication Date: May 9, 2003