“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb”—Psalms 139:13 (NIV).
Several days ago, my youngest son, now 33, requested my assistance. Having just returned from a two-day trip, I was tired. Although it was tempting to refuse because his request required a one-hour round-trip drive, I agreed to pick him up at his house and drive him back to a location near me to retrieve his second vehicle. It proved to be a special time because we were able to spend 30 minutes of quality time together on the return trip.
My oldest son will be 37 next week. Originally, he was due on Mother’s Day in 1977. He was born a week late. Although he doesn’t ask for assistance as often as my youngest son does, if I am able to, I help when asked.
God definitely has a sense of humor when it comes to motherhood. I know I’m not the only mother who has said to a second-born child or even a third or fourth, “If you had been my first born, you’d be an only child.”
I love my sons and they know it. One thing I love about both is that they’re not afraid to say, “I love you mom,” even without my prompting. I also appreciate the differences in their personalities as well as their talents. Life would definitely be boring if each were the same.
When my oldest son left for college, I cried. When it came time for my second to leave home, I said, “Do you need help packing your bags?”
Yes, God has a sense of humor. Being a mother also requires a healthy dose of it too. Although I never had a daughter, most mothers who have reared both agree with the observation that raising sons requires looking at the world through a different lens.
When I read the Gospels, especially the scriptures about Mary and Jesus, I often wonder what she thought when she began to feel the first movements of the unborn Savior growing inside her womb.
As a mother who has experienced the first fluttering of an embryo developing inside my body, I still cannot fathom what Mary must have felt, knowing she was carrying the Christ Child, yet still unaware of God’s plan for Him.
When Jesus was being beaten and then nailed to the cross, his mother was present. Did she understand why He had to suffer? How her mother’s heart must have ached for the One whom she had carried for nine months and then birthed.
John 19:26-27 tells us “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
Even when He was dying, Jesus’ concern for His mother was evident. It was His way of saying, “I love you, mom.”
This Mother’s Day—if she’s still alive—tell your mother how much you love her.
Carol,
Being a mother is one of the most wonderful gifts a woman ever gives or receives. It is true, whether you birth the child naturally, adopt or become a surrogate mother figure for a needy child. Thank you for putting that feeling and message into such eloquent words.
Clarice
Thank you, Clarice! I agree…being a mother is an incredible gift from our Heavenly Father. Our pastor’s message yesterday was about Jesus and Mary and how she saw him through “Mom-Colored Glasses.” It was a wonderful sermon. Thanks for taking time to respond to my message.