A Mother's Day

They call it "Mother's Day".            

It's a day to celebrate mothers.  It's a day to thank moms for all that they have done, and all that they will do.
Some take their moms to brunch or dinner....some bring flowers.  But even though all of that is nice, it goes way deeper than that.

I've often thought that if all of the experiences and emotions of motherhood could be brought before us at once, it would probably bring us to our knees.  It would be both, so overwhelmingly joyful and so crushingly painful, at the same time. Because motherhood is that way.  And it doesn't stop.....ever.

From the time of conception, a mother is connected to her children in ways that are indescribable by human terms.  Agony and ecstasy are often a part of every day for a mother.  We love our kids so much that it hurts sometimes.  Isn't it strange that a love so deep can cause pain?  Well, it does.  Because every mama has times when she watches her child, young or old, struggle with life.  Every mama has days when she has to just count on the Lord to rescue and restore her child's brokenness.  Every mama has to learn when it's time to step back, rather than hover and try to fix things, because she knows it will grow her baby strong......and that can be agonizing.

Oh, but the love.....the love so strong that it is unbreakable and never ceasing.  A mother is given a love so deep and so otherworldly that no one or no thing can take it away or damage it.  It is unconditional and can withstand even the most heart-wrenching trials, and even the most tangled messes of life.......because a mother sees the beautiful in the ugly, and the hope in the aftermath of  a storm.

Umbilical cords aren't just for nurturing a growing fetus, umbilical cords of love, grace, guidance, and patience cannot be severed.  Even as our children are making their own way in life, those cords are still pulsating wildly, and circulating unwavering strength.

How can it be, that a mother be given such a privilege and such a task as to raising a child of God?  How can it be that there can be so much angst and so much love in the process?  Well....it goes way deeper than that.

In order to understand the love of God....and the heart of God, we have to experience it on our level.  Our human minds are finite and limited and so is our strength and our ability to love.  Without the constant pulsating flow of God's grace, through His amazing Holy Spirit in us and through us, motherhood would be the most daunting tasks in all of life.  But as an umbilical cord connects mother to child,  the Spirit of God connects Him to His children.  Jesus redeeming love made that Three-Stranded cord unseverable for all eternity......and we can count on His continuing flow of unconditional love and grace to extend out to the children He has entrusted to us.  Our experiences of joy and sorrow are felt by the heart of God Himself.  And we learn about life through His eyes.

He sees each one of His precious children as He has created them to be....and as they will become.  We just see the here and now.  We can rest in His great plan and purpose....even when our hearts are breaking over watching the struggle, and enduring the storm.

Mother's Day is about a mother's life....and a day to thank not only mother's, but a day to thank our gracious Father for loving us enough to bring us to our knees, over and over again, in praise AND in pleading on behalf of our children.

Mother's Day 5/2014