Celebrating Mom!
A few weeks ago while rummaging through the utility room, I discovered a tattered notebook my mom started when she was a teenager. When I opened the cover and stopped sneezing :), I noticed the first entry, a poem titled, "God's Word Endures" based on Isaiah 40:8. Mama loved to read, study, and teach the scriptures, from junior-age boys to maturing women. She told me once that she used to line up her dolls when she was little and teach them Bible stories.
Her contagious love for the Bible rippled down to me, and now I try to pass on that love to others, especially my kids and grandkids.
Moms, whether still living or now deceased, leave all kinds of legacies. Prayerfully your mom left a faithful legacy that reflected a love for God's Word that led to a love for Jesus.
But I realize not all of us had mothers who adhered to the scripture and modeled a love for Christ. Still, all our mothers gave us life. For that alone we can thank God, especially in a culture where pre-born life is not viewed as created in God's image and thus not treated as precious and valuable (Psalm 139).
Our moms gave us physical life regardless of how that played out while we were growing up. God gave us spiritual life. That is an even greater gift. In the mystery of His workings, He used the moms we were given to shape us into the people we are. Even the negative experiences He can and will turn around for His glory and His use as we allow Him to point out the painful areas, apply His surgeon's scalpel, and ultimately bring healing that can then impact other lives for the Kingdom.
If you're a mom or grandma, you can be that faithful lover of Jesus and God's Word for your children and grandchildren, whatever their ages.
It's no surprise that we're living through difficult times. Jesus said we would. But Moms and Grandmas, we can make a difference right now, right where God's placed us.
I'm comforted by stories like the one about the faithful grandmothers during the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 that led to the formation of the Soviet Union. Lenin and his cronies thought they'd completely stamped out any trace of Christianity. However, in quiet places, tucked away, were little old grandmas rocking cradles, singing "Jesus Loves Me" and quoting scripture to babes and toddlers. Their behind-the-scene efforts spawned a new generation of believers.
We can celebrate our moms, and we can be the moms and grandmothers that Jesus wants us to be right now, even in the midst of COVID isolation.
What will that look like for you?
For me, it will look like a Zoom "Mother/Daughter Virtual Tea" with my three daughters. We will meet via video wearing our favorite frock (or not:) with beverage of choice in hand.
Each of us will take 10 minutes to share our responses to the following questions.
1.) What is your chief mothering joy right now?
2.) What is your chief mothering challenge right now?
3.) What is your chief mothering scripture right now?
4.) What is your chief mothering prayer right now?
As you look ahead to Celebrating Mom this year, consider what you can do to both reflect and reach out to your kids, grandkids, or others who may need a "mom-touch" right now.
Eileen
