It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, what you do, and how old you
are—there is nothing as unconditional as a mother’s love. I know they come in
different types and sizes, but at the very core of every mother is one thing
and one thing only—love. The kind of love that makes her forget about herself,
if only for some time before, finally, when her kids are able to stand on their
own, she rediscovers herself again. She’ll say, “I don’t want to lose myself in
the process of child-rearing,” but give her a child and she’ll barely look at
herself in the mirror. She’ll say, “My career means the world to me,” but once
a child is involved, she’ll drop anything—no second thoughts, no questions
asked—to rush to her child in need.
What mother does not know the kind of love that makes her bawl in the privacy of her
car or quietly sob at night but still bravely take on challenges squarely in
the face the day or the minute after? It’s the same kind of love that pushes
her to work longs hours to make ends meet, skip R&R to finish chores at
home, or read one last bedtime story after the three “last” ones. It’s the same
kind of love that holds your hand, locks you in an embrace, and rocks you to
sleep even when she means to dish out discipline and punishment. It’s the love that adores your childhood
stutter and listens to your grown-up stories, excuses, and white lies,
forgiving and forgetting in the process.
A mother’s love is the love that keeps on giving, a reflection of the greatest
love of all—the love gloriously expressed in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave
his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
God gave us his son for us—the ultimate sacrifice. Mothers, in a
perfect world, do not have to give up anything to give something to someone,
but this is not a perfect world we’re living in. Hence, I often wonder what
dreams my mother gave up so I could have mine. I know only too well the
trade-offs I made to be half the kind of mother my mother is—things like a good
night’s sleep, long showers, peaceful mealtimes, solo shopping trips, a solid
career. Mothers the world over know about the trade-offs we deal with on a
daily basis—trade-offs we don’t second-guess because we love our children. It
is rightful then what the Bible tells us to do: “Every one of you shall revere his mother and
his father” (Leviticus 19:3).
Therefore, wherever you are in the world, make sure to celebrate and
honor your mama today and make your life a testament to the love she freely
gives to you.
Happy
Mother’s Day!
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