The Day After...

    As all of you know, yesterday was Mother's Day. For a full 24 hours, people all over the country gave gifts, made food, and honored their moms for being some of the most important people in their lives. Maybe your family did something special, took your mom out for dinner or a movie. Maybe like my family you went to visit relatives and brought gifts for all the moms that were there. Maybe you even lived out every busy mother's dream and just had a relaxing day at home. Whatever you did, you did it for the all the important women in your life. But chances are, after the festivities were over things went right back to normal. And today, the day after Mother's Day, you may treat your mom like she isn't anything special. Like she just exists to do things for you and doesn't deserve to have more than one day devoted to her. Now I know you may be thinking that the person I just described isn't anything like you, that you're nowhere near that selfish. But sometimes in the things we don't say, we can make our mothers feel like they are not appreciated for the sacrifices they make every single day in order to do what's best for the people they love. 

    I have to be honest and say that a lot of the time I'm guilty of under-valuing and under-appreciating my mom in the things that I neglect to say and do for her. I get so wrapped up in my own little world that I forget to thank her for working so hard to make my life the best it can possibly be. She brought me into the world, taught me how to love others with my whole heart, gave me the tools I need to speak for myself and to defend those who need my help. She even taught me how to drive (and believe me, that was a VERY long and tiring process!) Because of her, I know that God loves me and has a plan for my life, and from following her example, I know that with His help I can have the patience to live my life with a listening heart. One day, if it's a part of God's plan (and I really hope it is), she will continue to guide me so that I can be a good wife and mama just like she is. And I'm sure if I took a poll of everyone who reads this, the majority of you would say what I've said and then some about your own mothers. Because God made our moms to be the most important and influential people in our lives. He selected them to be the ones to mold us into the people we're meant to be and created us to grow inside of them the first 9 months of our lives in order to strengthen the bond between mother and child. And even though we don't always show it in the way we treat them, we are eternally indebted to our moms for everything they've done for us and everything we've done to them. The existence of moms is living proof that we have a God who really does care for each and every person on earth. Now, remember what I said at the beginning of this post about giving gifts, making food, and doing special things for our moms on Mother's Day? Well, if you really think about it, moms are such a vital example to their kids that the special things we do for them on Mother's Day are really just the things that they do for us every day! And not only are moms good examples to their own kids, they're good examples for everyone around them! There are lots of women in my life who are not related to me by blood--from the ladies at my church, to many of my friends' moms--whom I know I can depend on, people I love who have had a positive influence on my life.

  

   When God created the role of "mother", He made a model of true love that points us to His unfailing love for us. And whether or not God gives a woman children, He calls us all to live out that role in the lives of the people around us. Take joy in the calling that God has given us as women because, in an eternal sense, it is the most important job a person can have. We are called to shape the people of the world, to nurture and care for God's children both in body and in spirit. If you're reading this and you're a new mom, realize that you've been given the ultimate responsibility, to hold your child's soul in your hands as you prepare them to one day give it to Christ on their own. If your child is grown, remember that no matter what happens they will always need your love and support. And if for some reason God has decided not to give you children for the time being, take hope in the fact that you are called to be a caregiver to all who need you and remember that God's work in you is never complete. Thank you all for the amazing things you do for God's children. Even though it can be hard, He knew that y'all were definitely the right people for the job He has given you. Happy Day After Mother's Day!