The day is ending and we’ve celebrated another Mother’s Day! It came with all of the expected traditions of the day: church, gifts, and dinner with family. Always a wonderful part of the day!
But I can’t help sometimes wondering if it is also becoming a day of great commercialism. Restaurants are filled to capacity and often booked weeks in advance. Greeting card sales soar! And malls are packed as people search for the perfect gift for mom.
And it’s no wonder! Everyone knows that a mother is the heartbeat of the home!
I didn’t grow up with a mom; although my sister did the best she could for us, making sure we stayed together, but she wasn’t mom. And when I was expecting my first child, I was a little concerned about the type of mom that I wanted to be.
So of course, I wanted to be to my children all the things I had missed in not having a mom. I wanted to make sure I was a part of their school life. I wanted to know their friends and their friends parents. I wanted to teach them how to read and write, and handle hurts and disappointments. I wanted to be their confidant, while remaining their mom. I wanted them to have piano lessons because the girl across the street from me had a piano, but I didn’t. I wanted to teach them to love the Lord my God and how to serve Him. I wanted to teach them how to have a great self-esteem…and the list goes on.
A tall order to say the least. And one not possible without the help of the Holy Spirit! As a matter of fact, not every fully accomplished. Some times we had take out or a frozen meal! Some times things weren’t picked up! And some times I wasn’t in the “I’m so glad to see you” mood when I walked in the door and they weren’t getting along for whatever reason. We were far from perfect, and I found out that I didn’t have to be; but we created a wonderful home for them and taught them to love God. We made sacrifices so that they could have a better life than we had; and loving each other so that they could see a healthy relationship-well, that part was easy.
What blesses me most, is knowing that we have raised first and foremost, godly young women; beautiful in the sight of the Lord! And they are doing well! Every mother wants to know her children, at any age, are doing well! And even though I didn’t do all that was in my heart to do for them, they turned out alright in the end.
I guess what I’m saying is, that moms aren’t perfect. We have unrealistic expectations of ourselves and of our children, and sometimes we get it all wrong! But with God’s help, we do the best that we can to love our children and teach them to love our Father. And when it’s all said and done, Mother’s Day is simply a reminder, that it is worth it all! Wonderful Jesus!
