This Post is For You

This post is for you if Mothers' Day is...well...not what it should be. Not what it could be. Not what it was before.

Maybe you don't have a Mom to celebrate with here on Earth. To you, I say you are loved. And I am sorry. It's okay to not be okay. Each year will feel different as you grow and heal. But your family is by your side, growing and healing with you. You are not alone.

Maybe you would like to be a Mom, but for whatever reason, life has not begun inside you. To you, I say you are loved and I pray that God surrounds you with an extra measure of grace this weekend. Do not lose heart, dear one. Do not lose heart.

Maybe you are a Mom, a mom to angel babies that you never held in your arms, but will forever hold in your heart. To you, I say you are loved and are still a mom, even though you may not be changing diapers or struggling to load your brood into the car. Your babies experienced so much love in the short time they were here on earth.

Maybe you are a Mom in the waiting to a precious treasure. A little one is coming to you, a little one that someone else brought into the world, but can't walk with anymore. To you I say you are loved, and I pray endurance for you for the road ahead and that your home will be blessed with love and laughter in the years to come.

Maybe you are a Mom and have a Mom, but there are hurts. Hurts that sometimes feel too deep to overcome. To you,  I say you are loved, and I pray time and mercy would do their work in your life.

To all Moms, you are loved. You are appreciated. You are treasured and valued. We are what we are today because of you. In whatever way you need, I pray your day is beautiful.

Beautiful like you.

Elizabeth and Mary

Elizabeth and Mary. Two pregnancies against all odds.

A virgin birth? A pregnancy after menopause? Medically impossible. Highly unlikely.

Imagine the looks the teenager and grandma-aged lady must have gotten from neighbors, even friends. The suspected immorality. The whispered comments behind palms. 

God in His mercy didn’t leave these special women to bear these feelings and emotions on their own. I believe He orchestrated these two dynamic pregnancies to coincide with one another in order to provide the support and encouragement the new moms would need.

Elizabeth’s husband, John, couldn’t talk throughout her pregnancy. How hard would that be to not hear the voice of your love, your closest friend for nine months?

Mary wasn’t even with Joseph for a third of her pregnancy, a whole trimester. I hate it when my husband is out of town for the weekend, so I can’t imagine being separated from him for that length of time.

God’s love and care is demonstrated by bringing these two women together under extraordinary circumstances. John's mother and Jesus' mother had a unique road ahead of them. The friendship and pregnancy moments shared during those three months undoubtedly fortified them for the days to come.

Whether it’s in pregnancy, miscarriage or barrenness, God is faithful to provide companions to join you on the journey. You have to be willing to let God accomplish this work, though. Sometimes it means opening up a difficult part of your life. Sometimes it means finding friendship in unlikely places.

Bringing new life into the world and conversely, waiting oh so expectantly for life to begin in you is a difficult road to walk. And while husbands provide the tenderness and support that few others, even in our own families, could provide, other women in the same situation understand deeper nuances of the journey that few others can.

Look around you. If you are struggling with feeling alone and isolated, I bet God has placed companions in your life who will pray for you, share your burden and join you on the journey of bearing life, or the struggle to understand why your body has not borne life yet.

Maybe God is calling you to reach out to some women in your life.

It’s the enemy who wants us to feel isolated and alone. He can wreak great havoc on those who are separated from the flock. God never wants us to feel isolated and alone. His word promises He is always with us, and He desires that we find companionship and support in the body of Christ.

Sisters, let us follow Elizabeth and Mary’s example and support one another, during such seasons as these and always.

Based on Luke 1:5-36; 39-45; 56