A Mother's Love

Dear Mom, I was going to give you an all-expense-paid, first class trip to Hawaii for Mother’s Day, but I knew how much you would miss me, and decided I just couldn’t stand to put you through that kind of agony. Love, Your Son. Yeh, I don’t have that kind of money either – I guess it’s one of those situations where “It’s the thought that counts.” 

“Somebody” said a mother is an unskilled laborer; “Somebody” never gave a squirmy infant a bath! “Somebody” said you know how to be a mother by instinct; “Somebody” never took a three-year-old shopping! “Somebody” said that “good” mothers never yell at their kids; “Somebody’s” child never sent a baseball through a neighbor’s picture window! “Somebody” said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in books; “Somebody” never had a child stuff beans in her nose! “Somebody” said a mother always adores her children; “Somebody” never tried to comfort a colicky baby at 3 a.m.! “Somebody” said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back; “Somebody” never organized seven giggling Brownies into a cookie-selling brigade! “Somebody” said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery; “Somebody” never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten! “Somebody” said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t have to tell her; “Somebody” isn’t a mother!

[Proverbs 31:25-31] “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” The Bible gives many comparisons of God’s constant care for His children. In Psalm 103 and in Proverbs 3, God is depicted as a concerned and disciplining father. Isaiah 27 mentions God as a gardener tending His garden. And in the 23rd Psalm, we read of God as a shepherd. When God, through Isaiah, illustrated how great His love was for Israel, He likened it to the love of a mother for her child: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you...” (Isaiah 66:13). Truly, there is nothing more natural than for a mother to cherish, care for, and comfort her child. Note, for example: • The unconditional love mothers demonstrate for their children is probably the closest thing on earth to His incredible love for us. • The gentle tenderness a mother expresses in handling her newborn child is so reminiscent of the tender loving care God promises to all the faithful. • The sincere sympathy mothers show for hurt elbows and hurt hearts is very much like the heart-felt compassion God feels and gives to each of us. • The sacrifice and unselfishness mothers exhibit time and time again toward their children reminds us of how benevolent and generous God has been to you and me. • The soft special kisses and the always sweet smiles that mothers so generously give can help us to understand and appreciate the joy God has for us now and forevermore. Just watch a mother with her child sometime. Take note of the sacrifice, dedication, care, tenderness, love, comfort, and joy she exhibits. Then remember that this is the way God loves us. So thank you, mothers, for giving us a glimpse of God’s immense love! Amen!