After a couple of years of praying and trying for a child, The LORD blessed us with a beautiful baby boy. Over the past 10 months, it has been an absolute joy watching my wife become a mother. It is as if she was born for this role. The way she loves and cares for him every hour of every day is a pure blessing to witness. It is so apparent that God created her for this and I am extremely grateful. There is no doubt that he is loved and will be taken care of for as long as God allows her to be here.
Looking back on my mother’s life, I too was well loved and cared for her entire life. She went home to be with The LORD seven years ago, but she left a lasting impression on me. I am very thankful for the time I had with her here on earth. My dad also instilled in me values and lessons throughout my life and loved me very much. In many ways, he was awesome, but there’s just something really special and different about a mother’s love.
I am sure if I were to ask you about your mom, I would hear similar amazing stories. That is how most moms are: selfless and demonstrating unconditional love. Behind some of the greatest and influential leaders in our nation’s history stood an amazing mom. Although Nancy Hanks Lincoln died when Abraham was only nine years old, her encouragement of his early literacy and the values she instilled are considered foundational to his character. The hardship of her loss is also cited as a key event that shaped his resilience and empathy. Without her brief but pivotal influence, the man who would lead the nation through the Civil War may have lacked the foundational character that defined his presidency. Mary Bell Washington, the mother of George Washington, was widowed when he was just eleven years old. She was a famously formidable woman who single-handedly instilled in her son the sense of duty and discipline that would define his public life. The character she forged in him became the bedrock for his leadership in the Continental Army. The man celebrated as the “Father of His Country” was a direct product of the unyielding will and strict principles of his mother. Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, was often called the “Mother of Methodism” because of the highly structured and devout educational system she implemented for her children in their home. The disciplined faith and character she cultivated in them became the very cornerstone of a movement that would reshape Protestant Christianity and transform the religious landscape of the English-speaking world.
Now, motherhood is already one of the most difficult jobs in the world, but could you imagine the weight of being Mary, the mother of the Savior of the World? Luke 1:26-38 tells us:
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; [e]blessed are you among women!”
29 But [f]when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I [g]do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
God saw something of Himself in Mary. It wasn’t her social standing nor her prominence in the community. Joseph and Mary were not well-off, but they were rich in God. Luke 2:19 states that “She treasured every moment with Jesus and every memory with Jesus, keeping them and Him close to her heart.” Mary was Jesus’ very own mother. She loved Him so much that Jesus could see Himself in her heart. Even though motherhood carries much joy, it also has much sorrow. It opens up a mother to pain, experiencing whatever her children experience. That could be a scraped knee, feelings of heartbreak, or worse, watching her child die. Mary ended up watching her child die. In the moments of Jesus on the cross, Mary had to let her son go and trust the Father with Him in that excruciating moment.
That same sacrificing love that Mary demonstrated is what I witnessed with my mom and still see with all of the mothers in my life. There is just something special and different about a mother’s love. Mothers deserve more than some flowers on Mother’s Day. They need more than a weekly phone call and an occasional visit. They need real and regular encouragement. There’s nothing quite like it, and we need to truly recognize that. So, let your love for mom be made known. They truly are a gift from God.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Wayne Errig