Have you ever marveled that no one on this earth has ever been without a mother except for Adam? Circumstances may hinder being raised by the one who birthed us but we all exist thanks to the marvelous design of a womb. Created in the image of God, we know that the concept of motherhood was His design.
NO mother is exactly the same. Some are young. Some are old. Some are addicts. Some have trauma issues, others, mental health issues. Some are patient. Some are brusque. Some are creative. Some are compassionate. Some work three jobs while others stay at home. Some are rich. Some are poor. Some can cook. Some order take out. Some enjoy toddlers. Some enjoy teens. Introverts and extroverts. Birth moms. Foster moms. Adoptive moms. Some attach well to their children, others do not. So what image do you carry of motherhood?
I carry one created by my own mother. She's a lover of music. She's a lover of flowers. She is a quiet, thoughtful, lover of books. She believes in talking about everything under the sun while we work in tandem from household to garden tasks. She coaches, assigns chores, encourages, sews and practices piano diligently. Lunches get made and sent out to the field.
She combined, cultivated and harrowed thanks to her dad training her when she was younger. Invaluable skills to be used in my parents' farming operation. She taught piano to the reluctant and the eager alike and even survived teaching her own children and grandchildren. When uncontrollable giggles arose at the piano bench during recitals, her grace and love for her students had her giggling right along with them.
My mom spends many hours praying for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This characteristic is the one I desire to emulate the most. It is the heritage I wish to pass on to my own children and grandchildren. She lives out the heart of God found in Isaiah 49:15-16.
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child
she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved
you on the palsm of my hands; your walls are ever before me."(NIV, 1983)
This weekend we get to celebrate a milestone birthday with her. She arrived in the middle of World War II with the world in chaos and fear. The world may still reek of chaos and fear but her heart is steadfast because she trusts in her Creator, the one who numbers her days and sustains her through them.
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