Mother's Day
I have to admit I am kind of hiding out this weekend. Everywhere I turn, there are Mother's Day ads and well-wishes, even in my own email box. While I am thankful for my own mom (and mother-in-law!), applaud the work mothers do, and recognize that it is not easy to be a good mother, it hurts to be reminded everywhere I go that I am not a mom. I am not one who will be celebrated this year (or in any year to come) and all these well-wishes are for an exclusive club I will never be part of, no matter how much I had wanted to be.
When I think about how churches approach Mother's Day - honoring moms, publicly recognizing them, cooking them breakfast or giving them flowers, in general trying to give back to them a little portion of what they all give to their families - it seems good and right. But when I take a step back and simply think about how God might view Mother's Day, I'm tempted to think He might approach it differently. He, of course, created the first family and gave us the commandment to honor our parents, but He is also the champion of the widow and the barren woman. He cares in a special way for the outcast, the lonely, the ones whose lives didn't go as planned. He sees our tears and collects them in a bottle.
God establishes our paths and has given me this life without children. His ways are mysterious, but I accept them and trust that His path is the best one for me. He knows how much what He's given me hurts sometimes and He never tells me not to hurt, rather He comes alongside me to ease my burden. Because I have felt His tender love towards me in the places I didn't choose to walk through, I have to believe that He hates the pain women like me feel when every year one of their greatest wounds is so pointedly picked at. I think He would hate that some women are made to feel like their lives are somehow worth less because of something they had no choice in. I wanted kids; I got cancer. Every year, Mother's Day reminds me of that fact.
So be sensitive in your celebrations. This day is hard for lots of women, for various reasons. But know that you are loved and God does have a path for you that works all things together for your good and His glory, even when we can't see it from our perspective.
When I think about how churches approach Mother's Day - honoring moms, publicly recognizing them, cooking them breakfast or giving them flowers, in general trying to give back to them a little portion of what they all give to their families - it seems good and right. But when I take a step back and simply think about how God might view Mother's Day, I'm tempted to think He might approach it differently. He, of course, created the first family and gave us the commandment to honor our parents, but He is also the champion of the widow and the barren woman. He cares in a special way for the outcast, the lonely, the ones whose lives didn't go as planned. He sees our tears and collects them in a bottle.
God establishes our paths and has given me this life without children. His ways are mysterious, but I accept them and trust that His path is the best one for me. He knows how much what He's given me hurts sometimes and He never tells me not to hurt, rather He comes alongside me to ease my burden. Because I have felt His tender love towards me in the places I didn't choose to walk through, I have to believe that He hates the pain women like me feel when every year one of their greatest wounds is so pointedly picked at. I think He would hate that some women are made to feel like their lives are somehow worth less because of something they had no choice in. I wanted kids; I got cancer. Every year, Mother's Day reminds me of that fact.
So be sensitive in your celebrations. This day is hard for lots of women, for various reasons. But know that you are loved and God does have a path for you that works all things together for your good and His glory, even when we can't see it from our perspective.
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