Mother's Day usually brings up emotions of happiness and thankfulness. In our church services, we celebrate Mom, her influence, her love and her service. We acknowledge and bless our mothers publicly.
But...Mother's Day can bring other emotions besides joy. Mothers come in a variety of roles. Some joyful, some painful. May we be sensitive to honor mothers without alienating others. As a church, we want women to feel welcome, appreciated, seen, and needed here in our little neck of the body of Christ.
May we be sensitive to the wide continuum of mothering. May we honor and connect with all moms:
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 moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – 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 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.
We commend mothering for the ways it reflects the image of God by bringing forth new life, nurturing those on her path, and living with the tension of providing both freedom and a safety net.
Let's wish a Happy Mother's Day to all moms and bring blessing, hope and joy to their lives.
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