Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28, NIV

Many years ago, I joined a small outreach team for a simple compassion project: hand deliver five dozen roses to moms in the community in honor of Mother's Day. Though simple in effort, the project was significant in impact. After gifting about four dozen of our supply at a senior living apartment, we strolled through downtown with these floral tokens of love in hand. We approached a pair of ladies chatting away on a bench, and as it dawned on them what we were giving them and for what reason, their expressions of surprise were coupled with tears. One of the ladies explained between joyful sobs, "You have no idea how much this means to us right now. We were just talking about how we probably wouldn't even hear from our children this Mother's Day." The love of a mother is often poured out with little accolades, but on a weekend like this it's more than appropriate to give voice to how much the moms in our lives mean to us.  So the rest of this blog is written specifically to the mothers who may be reading this. Whether or not you receive any cards or phone calls this weekend, I hope you hear what God Himself is saying to you. (And if you're not a mom, go ahead and keep reading to find something you can share as an encouragement to the mothers in your life.)

God Sees You

And the Angel of the Lord said to [Hagar]: “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction. Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Gen. 16:11, 13 (NKJV)

Ok, so this may not be the most sunshiny story to bring up on Mother's Day weekend, but the reality is that motherhood isn't always easy.  Even before her baby was born, Hagar struggled to feel secure in her relationships with others and in her relationship with God.  Without direction and without any human support, she heard God speak to her of His divine support.  In your seasons of feeling aimless or alone, I hope you hear God speaking peace (Ps. 85:8) to you like Hagar did.  You can know for certain that no matter how dark the night or deep the valley you find yourself in, God hears you, sees you, and wants you to see Him too.  God understands your journey and has good plans for you and your children that far exceed whatever present struggles you may be navigating.

Your Love Reveals God's Love 

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.  Isaiah 66:13, NIV

Near the end of Isaiah's prophecies, God wants to give assurance of His divine comfort to His people who are about to endure hard things regarding Jerusalem and their nation as a whole.  And in order to press this picture of His love upon their hearts, He chooses to compare His comfort for Israel to that of a mother for her child.  Excellent choice, wouldn't you say?  There's nothing quite like a mother's touch when we get an owie.  Nothing comes close to a mother's embrace when life gets us down.  I hope you realize what a precious gift you have as a mother -- the capacity to express tenderness and love in a way that cannot be matched, which is probably why my kids always seem to ask for mom first when they get hurt or feel sick.  Take pride in that gift and steward it well.  And as you extend your hands in comfort to others or verbalize words in support of others, know that you are in fact revealing the infinite love of God.

Your Ministry Matters 

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5, NIV

When the apostle Paul affirmed the sincere faith of his young apprentice Timothy, he couldn't help but acknowledge that Timothy's strong faith came from the spiritual lineage of his mother and grandmother.  Moms and grandmas, whether you know it or not, you are making disciples in all that you do.  It's hard to feel like you are fulfilling a great ministry when your life is occupied by dirty diapers or your floors are an endless minefield of kids toys.  It may not seem like you have a significant ministry when your kids are grown or calls home are few.  But no matter what season of motherhood, when you choose faith, exercise faith, and live out that sincere faith in every context and circumstance, your example inspires others to do the same.  

Your faith in Jesus and faithfulness to Jesus may not always be seen on a grand scale, but rest assured that they create generational impact nonetheless.

Your ministry matters.  Your heart of prayer matters.  Your attentiveness to little things, your faithfulness in stressful things, your behind-the-scenes effort, your high-visibility leadership, all of this has eternal importance in the eyes of heaven.  Not just because of what is accomplished but because of who is discipled in the process.

So regardless of the amount of phone calls or flowers you receive this weekend, I hope your hear the heart of God for you.  Thank you for who you are and how you live.  Thank you for being strong and doing hard things.  Thanks for revealing Jesus and for inspiring others to live for Him too.  In closing, let me quote an exhortation of the Paul with a slight modification:

Therefore, my beloved [mothers], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV

Happy Mother's Day!