Mamas All Are We

Mother’s Day is almost upon us, and you wouldn’t believe the amount of baggage it brings. What about the women struggling with infertility? Or the ones who lost a mama this year? Or whose child passed away? Or whose estranged mother brings up painful memories of abuse or neglect? Or a myriad of other wounded places revolving around the concept of mothering?

There is a quiet space in the gospel for you, room to breathe and grieve and rest and hope for glimpses of all things made new. We are loved by a God who doesn’t think moms are beneath relating to. He pulls them close, whispering, “My love for you is like this.” I mean, look at Hosea 13:8. Or Isaiah 66:13. Or Matthew 33:27. Despite His masculinity, the Lord also embraces us in gentle kindness, nurturing and cultivating our hearts like a good mama would.

To the single mom tackling it all, cheers! You are brave and passionate, and the power of Christ is sufficient for you. You are never alone; your kids have a good Father who loves them even more than you do.

To the one who is balancing husband and teens, great job! You have permission to lean back into the arms of the One who cannot fail. Your strength and warmth show God’s heart to those around you.

To the new empty nester, hooray! Jesus is overwhelmed with His love for you and has good plans for your future even now. Your creativity and depth have a chance to expand in the open spaces of God’s goodness.

To the college girl just trying to make it through this semester’s final exams, huzzah! You carry the future not in your belly but in your being—being a daughter of God, being all of who He made you to be, being present with those He chose to love through you.

To the childless widow, showers of confetti! The lives you pour into as you intentionally disciple younger women rise up and call you blessed. Your obedience and generosity are a beautiful example of how God puts the deserted ones in homes, the abandoned in families.

To every believing girl who has gone before us, that dazzling cloud of witnesses, resplendent in their garments washed white, who mothered in a million ways, who bore martyrdom and misunderstandings and the sundry mundane tasks of walking as a woman of valor, thank you!

The mama in the colosseum who chose Jesus over watching her little ones grow up, thank you! The nun who chose Jesus over marrying her childhood sweetheart, thank you! The wife who chose Jesus over fulfilling her dream as a nun, thank you! The businesswoman who chose Jesus yesterday over dishonest gain, thank you! Ever since Eve learned the hard thing, ladies have made decisions to love Jesus in their own way, birthing bits of Christ into the world at every turn. We are all mamas. And we are all so important on this Mother’s Day and always.