Let's Celebrate Motherhood

True mothering is much more than extraordinary human effort to just "be there." It is based on the recognition that God is Love, and man (male and female) is the expression of that Love – is Love in action.

By Amy Sparkman

Categories: Fatherhood/Motherhood

How many times a day (or night) does a child call and a mom answer? A bazillion times for a bazillion reasons! How do moms know so much? How can they always come up with an answer? Maybe not a specific solution, but words of comfort, reassurance, encouragement, perspective, wisdom, and always love. How do moms do it?

Moms don't have super powers, even if at times it seems like they do. Moms get their mothering power from the ultimate Mother — God. And Mother-God has answers! Thanks to the continuous pouring forth of divine Love, moms everywhere can meet the daily needs of God's children creatively, unexpectedly, purposefully, and endlessly.

As we celebrate mothers this month, let's see how many new views of motherhood we gain and new opportunities to mother — to nurture, love, and guide — we find with each passing day. A good place to begin is with a family discussion of what mothering means to each individual, including mom. How many standout mothering moments can we recall — big and little moments that have made us feel mothered? Then let's think of times when each of us has needed to be a stand-in mom – unexpectedly, tenderly, selflessly caring for someone. The thoughts and experiences we share should lead to a wonderful list of qualities moms express, things moms do, ways moms think and act in order to be mothers – individual expressions of divine Love.

What we should see from the stories we recount is that true mothering is much more than extraordinary human effort to just "be there." That approach undermines and eventually wears out patience, energy, and individuality to the point where moms feel unappreciated, bone-weary, and anonymous.

To the contrary, true mothering is based on the recognition that God is Love, and man (male and female) is the expression of that Love – is Love in action. Jesus shows us how to love through his teaching and his healing work. For instance, the Beatitudes are wonderful expressions of mothering love, assuring us of God's ever-presence. Stopping to heal the woman with the issue of blood on his way to healing Jairus' daughter is a compelling example of Jesus expressing the Mother love that never misses an opportunity to care for someone in need, even when there doesn't seem to be enough time, energy, or resources to do so.

What other examples of mothering can you find in the Bible? Check out the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1, 2:1,2, 19-21); and the story of Naomi and Ruth in the Book of Ruth.