For the Moms…

One of the truths I encounter more than any others is that life is more often complex than simple, and this certainly applies to my experience in motherhood. Being a mother is my greatest blessing and honor, and it is also the biggest and most heartbreaking challenge I face nearly every day. When I dreamed of being a parent, I never imagined nor fully comprehended exactly what I would be taking on. Parenthood, and specifically for me, motherhood, is exhausting work. It’s a job in which I find myself using every skill, gift and tool at my disposal and still regularly wonder if I am messing up or coming up short. It’s the only job where I’ve found myself sobbing over something as utterly ridiculous as the puzzle of reorganizing toddler clothing drawers when the seasons change.

When I meet with other moms, as a pastor and as a friend, I realize that so many of us are simply wanting to be seen. Though there have been many shifts in gender roles in recent decades, the world we live in still makes a lot of assumptions about moms - who we are and what work we do in the family. And so, we continue to do so many things - invisible things - things that are rarely noticed but things that, if stopped, would cause gargantuan problems in household operations. And we do them out of love - a love so deep and tireless.

So this is for the moms on this Mother’s Day 2023:

For the ones who pick up all the pieces, hold it all together, and keep things moving forward each and every day….

We see you.

For the ones who feel the pressure of being able to do it all – kid stuff, home stuff, work stuff, life stuff…

We feel with you. 

For the ones who are always the caregivers, at home and beyond…

We thank you.

For the ones who feel like they never get a break to rest before the next immediate need arises…

We pray for you.

For the ones who, even when utterly exhausted and completely drained, draw from an seemingly bottomless reservoir of love…

We admire you.

For the ones who do too much, but do so with gratitude in their hearts…

We love you.

For the ones who don’t complain, but hope that someone sees them…

Hear this. You are an essential part of God’s beloved family, and you are seen, known, held and loved. May you feel the gratitude pour over you, filling in every crack where you questioned whether your mothering mattered. All of your work is sacred. All of it is holy.

Being a mom is so very beautiful and so incredibly hard. As we hold space for both of these truths, may we offer prayers this week for those whose identity is “mother,” and those who, regardless of relationship, engage in the kind of love and care that is best captured by the term “mothering.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all who do this holy work in our world.