Don’t get me wrong. I believe moms should be celebrated. God
has blessed me with a wonderful mom, step-mom and mother-in-law. And as a mom
myself, I am aware of the sacrifice, love and care that are required to
accomplish a day’s tasks.
However, at some point, I believe our culture has become
somewhat insensitive to those who aren’t holding a child on Mother’s Day or
those who dread Mother’s Day because their mom is no longer here.
~~
For you ladies waiting to get a positive pregnancy test, you
aren’t alone. I have been there. I was told it would be highly unlikely for me
to ever have children. Though I now have the honor of mothering two precious
girls, and know I have a son in Heaven, the months of infertility and treatment
do not seem like that long ago.
The ache to have children is difficult. While being
genuinely joyful and excited for those around you who are pregnant, you wonder
“Why can’t it just be me!?” Month after month, it seems like every other female
within a 50 mile radius of you is sharing a pregnancy announcement on social
media. Everyone except you, that is. And every post from a pregnant woman
complaining about her symptoms just causes you to wonder even more because you
long to be pregnant and those who are seem ungrateful to be entrusted with such
a gift.
This Mother’s Day, I pray that the Lord would encourage your
heart. I pray that He shows you in some way that He sees you. I pray that you’d
know He really IS working all things for your good! Waiting is hard. It’s not
enjoyable or easy by any means. But as the Lord guides you and as He shows you
His plan to grow your family, I pray that you will trust Him.
~~~
For you ladies waiting to receive the call that your
adoption journey is coming to an end, trust God’s faithfulness! From journeying
with our friends through adoption, I have learned that adoption simply doesn’t
always have a timeline. Paperwork and home studies can be completed weeks, even
months or years, before you finally receive the call that the birth mother has
delivered the baby you will welcome home. I naïvely believed that our friends’
adoption process would be quick after fundraising and paperwork seemed to be
rolling along quite rapidly. There was a long halt to the process. But as a
family, they trusted. As a faith family, we were motivated to depend on and
trust the Lord to bring a baby home, and to do so soon!
After countless prayers for this precious family, when my
friends walked into my office to tell me they were going to pick up their baby
girl, I knew. They didn’t have to say a word. The look of hope and promises
fulfilled on their faces was explanation enough!
This Mother’s Day, I pray that the Lord would remind you of
the promise He gave you. A promise to grow your family. A promise to give you a
tangible expression of His grace toward us. A promise to fill your arms with a
precious gift.
~~
For you ladies celebrating Mother’s Day without your mom,
choose to celebrate her! Celebrate Mother’s Day on her behalf with some of her
favorite things. Enjoy one of her favorite meals or dessert. Reminisce about
her mannerisms and take time to recall some of your favorite stories of her.
I am thankful to be able to celebrate Mother’s Day with my
mama tomorrow. But tomorrow will be the first time I won’t call my Mammaw
Cunningham to wish her well and seek advice on Mother’s Day.
Dementia has stolen my Mammaw Neill’s recollection of who I
am most days, but tomorrow I will read through her old cookbooks for a bit and choose
to remember many of our chats at her dining room table.
~~
Mother’s Day can be extremely difficult. For those of you
waiting on a baby or a child, or wishing you could hug your mom just one more
time. I pray the Lord comforts you in a way only He can tomorrow.
He is near to the broken hearted. (Psalm 34:8) He cares for
you. (1 Peter 5:7) And God loves you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
So regardless of what emotions tomorrow will bring for you,
celebrate God’s goodness. Celebrate promises fulfilled. Celebrate promises yet
to be filled. And celebrate the mother or mother-figure who helped you become who
you are today, even if you must celebrate without them.
