This Sunday, as I am sure you know, is Mother’s Day. It will be a good day for some, a tough day for others, and for some it will be an absolute emotional nightmare. Some women would love to be moms and cannot. Others do not seem to be good at the job and yet have a houseful of kids. Some of us have great relationships with our moms; others had abusive or dysfunctional moms and have completely cut off contact. Some of our moms left us way too soon and we miss them terribly, and others live to be grandmothers and even great grandmothers. Some of those who cannot be biological moms bless us with their mothering anyway. They are church moms, youth group moms, work moms, school moms or daycare moms. 

Motherhood is not a right; it is a blessing of God and a fearful responsibility. It has a start date, but no end date. The job is a never-ending series of highs and lows, joys and sorrows, stresses and celebrations. At first your kids will need you 24/7, but that will not last long. As time goes on, they will say they need you and then say they don’t – but you will try to be there for them, regardless. Motherhood comes with no description, no instructions, no set hours, NO PAY, and no assurances of success. It’s messy and loud and tends to spill over into other areas of life like marriage, hobbies, finances and career. What other job would be so popular with

such a description?!

Since our children are made in God’s image, I feel like the best chance we have to be good moms is to stay close to Him. Reading His Word can help us to be wiser and practice discernment (not all battles are worth fighting). Prayer reminds us that we are never alone, and that our heavenly Father cares even more deeply about our children and their development than we do. Delving deeper into the lives of godly women in Scripture can give us practical tips on how to do the job well (Jochebed, Naomi, Ruth, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, etc.) despite adversity. Being a faithful part of a church community brings priceless resources like peer relationships, older female mentors, discipleship and fellowship opportunities, and even trustworthy babysitters. Trust me - it is a wonderful thing to have all those extra eyes watching over your kids!

I hope you remember your own mother with love and gratitude. I hope that you have mothered (or are currently mothering) your children with love and grace and kindness. I hope that you live long enough to see your grandchildren and great grandchildren. But even if none of these things comes to pass, I hope you will allow God to use you to mother children who need love, whether it is here at Salem or in your own neighborhood.  See you at church on Sunday!

Careen