Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2015 by admin in Pastor's Pen | Tags: 581

How is one to speak of motherhood? Should I say something funny about the incessant troubles of rearing unappreciative and naïve children? Should I mention a note of gratitude for all of the mothers who have sacrificed themselves through a life of tireless nurturing and care? Should I applaud those mothers who have raised exemplary children to adulthood, and maybe even celebrate the motherhood of the one who was once their little girl?
It seems that time spent on any of these would not be lost on unimportant things. However, my heart is also heavy with the thought that there are many women who have desired motherhood for years without the opportunity to rejoice at the birth of her own child. There are also many today who have been blessed so as to conceive a child, but they have rejected the unborn infant and ended the young life before it could enjoy the touch of a friendly human hand. And there are, no doubt, many people who think back to their childhood and remember a mother who did not fill her role particularly well. Still others may be overcome with the reality that this is the first Mother’s Day since their mother has died.
 
 
Whether you looked forward to Mother’s Day or anticipated it with grief and sadness, please allow me to offer this brief word of encouragement.
 
 
God is the good and wise Creator, and He is the gracious and comforting Redeemer of all who trust and love Him.
 

God’s design in creation is good, and He is wise in the areas of both functionality and beauty. Mothering is something that all women were made for, and that is true of women who may never give birth to any children. It is always interesting to me that Adam calls his wife ‘Eve,’ which means the mother of all living, before she ever conceived any child. It is also interesting to me that God has designed women especially for the task of mothering. Oh, there is so much more to the nature of femininity, but mothering is certainly no small proclivity. Mothering requires tremendous care, unflinching self-sacrifice, strong determination, meticulous nurturing, and constant attention. God’s design in femininity is especially remarkable when this role of mothering is considered as one of the ways that femininity is beautifully expressed.

I am thankful for the wisdom of God. He has designed a woman distinct from a man, so as to bring glory to Himself and joy to humanity. May we all be thankful for the mothering of each woman God has placed in our lives.
 

God is a gracious Redeemer of sinners, and He is a comforter of all who look to Him in their times of deepest mourning. Some women may look to their role of mother in great disappointment, and the thought of mothering may cause tremendous guilt. If a mother neglected her role in the nurture of her own children, if a would-be-mother recalls the choice she made to abort her unborn child, or if a mother believes that her barrenness is due to some condemnation from God, then the Gospel is good news indeed. Whatever failures may follow behind you, and whatever guilt you may feel, all of the sinfulness that has sprung from your heart is exactly why Jesus lived and died.

God offers grace to sinners, not because they deserve it, but because He delights in redeeming sinners and making them lovely and pure. Jesus lived the perfect life that no sinner could, and He died under the penalty for sin, so that all those who would trust in Him could know freedom from guilt and sin. Even though our sin is terrible, God’s grace is more powerful, and He is a gracious Redeemer.

Comfort is also something at which God excels. He is the maker of the human heart, and He is intimately acquainted with the vast emotional ocean that may be raging inside at any moment. His promise is not to spare us from pain and suffering in this life, but He has promised to be with us in the midst of our darkest times. He has also promised to ultimately bring us into His glorious presence where there is no more pain and suffering to be experienced. We may lean upon His strength, and we may find refuge under His comfort.

Whether Mother’s Day has been wonderful for you, or if it has been a difficult day, let us press into the God who is Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Comforter, Savior, and Father to all those who love and trust Him.