Every year on the second Sunday in May, we celebrate mothers. I remember as a kid going shopping with my dad, grandma, or even older brother to buy something for my mom for Mother’s Day. (When your brother is 7 years older, you basically have your own personal chauffeur.) The older I got, the better the gift was that I picked out for mom. I always bought some card to go with the gift. The card I picked out was always the funniest card I could find. I’m pretty sure it was serving as a reminder to her that I’m her funniest kid. We would have some fancy dinner or lunch as a family to celebrate mom. We would give her all of the gifts we had gotten for her. After gifts were given, we would devour a fancy chocolate cake that we purchased at Publix every year. The day would end with us just spending time together. It looked a little different every year, but the outline of the day was still the same.
While Mother’s Day was always a happy day for my family, I learned as an adult that that’s not the case for everyone on the second Sunday in May. For some people it’s a reminder of a mother who is no longer living or a mother they never got to meet. For others, it could be a day they wish they could celebrate as a biological mother, but they haven’t been able to give birth to their own child. There are the moms who can’t hold their precious child/children because of a miscarriage, stillbirth, or complication at birth. Maybe it’s a day riddled with joy and grief. Joy because you have kids, but also grief because one of your children has passed away. Maybe there’s a strained or complicated relationship between a mother and her children and so the day also brings mixed emotions for both parties in the relationship. The picture perfect Mother’s Day my family tried to create isn’t always the norm.
Last Mother’s Day, it was the casual conversation with an old friend’s mother that sent me into a basket case like state with a sense of conflicting emotions. If possible, people expect families to be together for holidays, right? That’s what the media and books has set as the norm for us. This friend’s mother, while having good intentions, asked if my brother Thomas, who passed away in 2021, would be coming into town to celebrate Mother’s Day with us. I was speechless as first. It was the first time I had to tell someone, who I assumed knew about his death, that he was gone. It was just another fresh wave of grief that reminded me things will always be different now. There will also be this hint of sadness on days that “should” be happy days. I knew holidays and special days related to him wouldn’t look the same, but it hadn’t dawned on me that all of us kids wouldn’t be together on Mother’s Day again to celebrate our mom.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen more and more brokenness in the world as a result of the fall of man. Sin entered the world, and as a result, we have death. We have strained relationships in families. We don’t live in that perfect garden that God created. But how grateful am I that He didn’t leave us without hope in this world. He sent His perfect son Jesus to die on the cross. The Bible tells us that if you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead that you will be saved. Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, believers have hope. We know that God is faithful and He will do what He says he’s going to do. One day, every tear will be wiped away and sin and death will be no more.
I’m not sure which camp you found yourself in on Mother’s Day. Maybe everything was picture perfect and you had a great day. Maybe it was picture perfect from the outside, but on the inside you were weeping and grieving for someone you’ve lost or someone you haven’t gotten to meet yet, but so desperately hope you will. Wherever you found yourself, I want to remind you, the Lord sees you. He meets you where you are. It’s easier said than done, I know, but trust Him in this- whatever “this” may be. Time and time again, He has shown Himself as faithful and trustworthy. He is at work in every situation. While we may never see or understand how He is at work, we can take confidence that He is working. Keep your eyes on Him. He is the author and perfector of your faith. When you don’t know what to say or do, choose to trust and worship Him. Mother’s Day may be a hard day for you, but He loves you more than you, and sometimes me, will ever know or possibly ever understand. Let Him be your refuge and source of comfort. One day, He will turn your sorrows into joy and your weeping into dancing.
Some songs to point us towards Christ until the day He returns.
- Rend Collective- I Choose to Worship: https://youtu.be/IjPKfQ7fMoM?si=vaQ1rdGAiF60FHxO
- I Am They- Amen: https://youtu.be/wL65C1tb81U?si=qT5x5yL7lg93EjbM
- CityAlight- Jesus is Alive: https://youtu.be/L-70IOsdU7I?si=7k-ReJ-2yMSdmBWi
- Austin Stone Worship- In the Hands of Christ My King: https://youtu.be/0tfXaXlHXy8?si=0exekrvWThRGOGwN
Grief. Going. Healing. 
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