As I reflect on the meaning of Mother’s Day, I can’t help but look back and remember how important this day was for me when I was growing up.

I was the oldest of three children and I wanted my mom to know just how much we all loved her.

My brother, sister, and I would always make her a special gift at school.

You know the ones I’m talking about, a ceramic plate with a child’s hand imprinted on it or a special card with yellow paper tulips.

I would always make my dad take me to the mall so that we could get that perfect gift for mom to open on her special day.

I would make her a special breakfast and we would all serve it to her in bed. Our reward was the beautiful smile on her face. Later in the day, our family always got together to honor all the mothers in our family.

It was a very special day.

As I grew older and became a mother myself, I learned to love and respect my mother in a whole new way.

So What Does It Mean to Be a Mom?

To be a mom is a sacred and noble calling. Motherhood is perhaps the biggest responsibility a woman will ever have in life.

Check out this video on what it means to be a mom.

https://youtu.be/7B3t3hk2w20

A Special God-Given Ability

God Himself gave us as women, the ability to be co-creators with Him. He of course is the giver of life, but we, as His vessels, are the ones that carry this life with in us until birth.

What an amazing privilege… to be used by God in this way!

But I know that being a mom is much more than physically having a child.

I have some friends that have tried and tried to have a baby and have been unsuccessful.

So does that mean they can’t be moms? No not at all!

Being a mom doesn’t just mean having a baby. There are many women who can physically have children. Not every one of them is a mom.

To be a mom is to live selflessly and sacrificially – just as Jesus did.    Tweet

“He said the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28)

It means giving your life to love and care for the child/children God has given you the privilege to raise.

For some women, it means turning in their high-heeled pumps and business suit for a tee-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

It means taking time to listen to your child, helping them understand the different feelings they experience as they grow up. It means taking time to enjoy their laughter and silliness while driving them to all of their sports events and school outings.

It means spending quiet times with them on the couch, just holding them when they are asleep, and staying up at night when they are sick.

It means giving up your desires to make sure your child’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met, being willing to give your life as a ransom for them.

All Moms Are Not Equal

Sadly in today’s society, many women focus on themselves more than they focus on their children, and the children are left to try and figure out life on their own.

Some moms are into themselves more than they are into their kids

To be a mother is to be a molder of character.

Mothers can have a powerful influence on their children.

Our words, actions, and behavior are the very thing that mold and shape the lives of our children.

If you lie, your child will learn to lie. If you hate, your child will learn to hate.

Our responsibility as moms is to provide them with the proper environment in which to grow and flourish into godly men and women.

This is done through loving examples, diligent instruction, and discipline. How else will our children learn to do things like love, be kind, and be unselfish if they don’t see it in us?

Just as the Lord disciplines us as His children, because He loves us, so must we as mothers do the same. It means teaching your children how to love God, how to pray, and love His word by example.

To be a mother is to be a mirror of God’s unconditional love. It means to love them no matter what they have done. Just as the Lord loves us.

Many times children relate how God loves them to how we love them.

It’s showing mercy when no mercy is deserved and grace when no grace is warranted.

It means allowing your children to grow up and make their own decisions even if they end up making the wrong choices. This one has been the toughest for me. I always wanted to fix things for my kids, to protect them from the hurt that wrong decisions can cause.

It means you never stop praying for your prodigal even after they have closed the door in your face and told you never to come back again.

Being a mom is the hardest yet most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I thank the Lord every day for my precious gift He gave me in my children. I love them with everything that’s in me.

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms

So on Sunday… we celebrate mothers!. Rejoice moms! … at the sacred and noble role God has entrusted you with!

If you are not yet a mother, don’t be discouraged.

Call your mother and thank her for all she has done. Make her day special.

If your mom is with Jesus, like my mom is, then thank the Lord for the wonderful memories you have of her.

Thank Him for all the lessons she taught you and the love she gave you. AND Rejoice that she is now beholding the face of Jesus hearing His voice saying to her…, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”