Mother’s Day

This week we celebrated Mother’s Day. This is a day that is celebrated by many but carries with it pain and grief for others. I understood and carried that grief for many years, and still do as I stand with others who struggle on this day.

I read a beautiful piece of writing that seemed to encapsulate many people’s experience and honour their feelings as real and deep”

“To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster mums, mentor mums, and spiritual mums – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you.
Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.”
(Amy Young)

God, who plays the role of Mother best, understands what we are going through. He too had to watch on while His Son made difficult choices, while He was battered and bruised for other people’s wrongdoing, and He watched Him die.

I can’t understand the immensity of that pain. To be honest, I’m still trying to come to terms with my own pain.

But what I can take out of this is that God understands. He has experienced the pains of Motherhood and He holds us in our own pain.

Lord, thank you for the gift and the burden of mothering. In whatever capacity we experience it, may we feel Your presence and strive to honour You in all we do. Amen.

What has been your experience of Motherhood?

God, grieve, mother, pain, relationships, understands