Celebrating Motherhood in the Mayhem
This Sunday, we will take some time to celebrate the gift of moms and the incredible sacrifices they have made on our behalf. I love the way Proverbs 31:28 describes the celebration of mothers: "Her children rise up and call her blessed!” I have plenty of reasons to “rise up” and say thank you to my Mom (who still wears “mom goggles” that see her sons through a lens far kinder than they deserve), and to all the moms of our Hope Church family. I am in awe every day watching my wife, Ally, wear a dozen hats—counselor, nurse, friend, prayer warrior, and cheerleader for our daughters.
When we were looking at Genesis last Sunday, I was reminded that Eve and every mom since her has known the unique burden of the pain of motherhood. While my Mom would be quick to call it a privilege, I know it has also carried the kind of weight we see in scripture. Moms like Sarah, who entrusted herself into the hands of her promise-keeping God, receiving Isaac in her old age. We see incredible bravery in Jochebed as she creatively tried to protect her baby, Moses. We see Hannah’s emotional plea for a child, marked by her profound faith and commitment to God as she dedicated her son to serving the Lord. Few stand out more than Mary, the mother of Jesus, who supported and followed Jesus from His first breath to the foot of the cross. These faithful moms remind us of the incredible weight mothers are often asked to carry and the special way they carry it.
My imagination wanders a bit, however, and I wonder how these incredible matriarchs of our faith would have navigated modern-day struggles like eyerolls from a teenager, kids on social media, being a taxi driver, and all the other things that make parenting today such an adventure. Motherhood, I would guess, has always been a strange and beautiful paradox—constantly living in the tension between pure joy and sometimes, deep exhaustion.
So moms, I want to take a minute this week to say thank you. Thank you for showing us what unconditional love feels like. Thanks for teaching us how to live sacrificially and to lean on the Lord. To all the moms of Hope, thank you for being self-sacrificing, prayerful warriors who remind us daily of God’s love.
Expectantly,
Shawn
