“But continue thou in the things which thou
hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
(2 Timothy 3:14-15 KJV)
*Note: This post is an edited post from last year (May 8,
2015).
This Sunday, May 8, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Therefore, it
is a great time to reflect on the special women (our mom and others) in our
lives who nurtured us; perhaps, they still nurture us, even if from afar. There
are so many different types of mothers: those who give birth to and raise their
child/children, those who are brave and allow their child to be adopted, there
are adoptive mothers, foster mothers, and spiritual mothers. So many different
ways to be a mom to many—great is the impact of moms on the lives of those they
nurture.
At the outset, I realize some reading this post will have
had a challenging relationship with their mom, or perhaps a dear mom has passed
away, or a mom is no longer mom due to a variety of health issues and/or dementia.
My prayer for you is that you will experience God’s comforting, healing
presence in the days ahead.
Likewise, some women reading this post will struggle due to
their longing to be a mom. My heart goes out to you, so many of us with “mommy
hearts” (this includes me) know we are to nurture another person. In my case, I
have found contentment in being a nurturing presence in the lives of my
friends.
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| From http://c.tadst.com/gfx/600x400/mothers-day-global.jpg?2 |
In thinking about some of the ladies who have nurtured me
spiritually I recall a couple of dear ladies from my earliest years—both were
apart of my life due to Sunday school and church attendance.
Many times, if it were not for our mom we would not be in
church. It seems spiritual nurture, many times, is dependent on mom. As a
little girl, I attended Sunday school and church faithfully, thanks to my
mother. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of church and Sunday school.
Particularly, during the early years (pre-school-second
grade), two ladies—Ruby and Clara—taught my peers and me a lot about Jesus and
His love for us.
For many of us, Sunday school and Vacation Bible school
teachers have a huge impact on us and how we grew in our faith. What sort of
impact did your Sunday school and Vacation Bible school teachers have on you?
How have you been nurtured by your mom or your spiritual
mothers (teachers, aunts, cousins, friends of the family)?
How can you nurture someone in need? Look at how Paul
encouraged Timothy regarding his faith that he learned from Lois and Eunice
(his grandmother and mother) (see 2 Timothy 1:5).
Therefore, in reflecting on this special day let us think
about everything that moms do for their off-spring (this includes spiritual
moms too!).
Moms do a lot for us.
They care for us when we are ill.
They comfort us after bad
dreams.
They encourage us on difficult
days.
It is clear that moms everywhere deserve this special day of
remembrance.
How can we thank our moms (birth and spiritual) at this
special time?
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear Lord of All, thank You for our mothers who gave us
life and nurture. Thank You for the spiritual mothers in our lives who taught
us about Jesus and His love for us and who influenced our growth in the faith.
For those who long to be a mommy grant them a special sense of Your comforting
presence. Bless our mothers today and always.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Kim, this was such a sensitive and loving tribute to all the moms in our lives. When I began my Christian journey, there were several women, on in particular, who took me under their wings and taught me how to fly in faith. I'll never forget their kind mentoring and their patience with me as I grew as a Christian.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, Thank you so much for your kind words! Women really do play a key role in the spiritual growth and development of many of us. Now we can return that to others.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hi Kim! I think your inclusion of spiritual mothers is such a great idea. This is so helpful for people who had less than a good experience with their own moms. And your encouragement to be a spiritual mother is basically helping me to see that we can be Christ to each other through our own mothering feelings.
ReplyDeleteMy mom has been gone six years now, but I intend to 'visit' her at the cemetery tomorrow. It is good to remember the women who made us so much of who we are.
And I'll remember Ruby and Clara too, who were such a blessing to you.
Have a peaceful weekend my friend,
Ceil
Hi Ceil! Thank you for your supportive words. Being a spiritual mother is my only option--I'm fine with that--I'll be able to reach far more than if I gave birth or adopted.
DeleteSorry to hear about your mom. My mom has been gone for eight years. (I've grown so much since that time and have freedom that I didn't have when she was living.)
Thank you for remembering those two special ladies in my life--Clara has been with the Lord for a number of years; Ruby has been with the Lord for less than a year.
Blessings for peaceful weekend to you, Ceil.
Kim
Kim I also appreciated you including spiritual moms in this post. I have a few that mean so much to me and really helped me make it through and also grow in my walk at very difficult times in my life. They took me under their wings and did teach me how to fly. My mom was so far away and they also served as my "southern surrogate moms." Thanks for the great post and God bless!
ReplyDeleteKimberly, thank you for your kind comments and for stopping by. Many of us would be "lost" or at least "poorer" if it wasn't for spiritual moms. I'm glad you got nurtured by your "southern surrogate moms"!
DeleteBlessings!