“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: I shared
this post in 2015, 2016, and 2017—the message is still timely, in my opinion. I have edited it slightly for this year.
To my readers: Even though I have not posted much
this year, I remain committed to sharing here about Jesus and helping you learn
and grow in your faith. I encourage you to check out (and
like) Faith Journey with Kim: Growing in Christ Jesus on
Facebook; join in the
occasional discussion on the posts there.
I plan to post soon on a topic that the Lord placed on my heart several
weeks ago.
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| Personal Photo |
This Sunday, May 13, 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. As my mentor and spiritual dad
reminded me this morning, I am a spiritual mom to many—being reminded of this
warmed my heart.
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| My mom and me--taken May 2006 at FUMC Knoxville, IA, for Mother's Day tribute. Photo Credit A. Furney |
In thinking about some of the ladies, who have nurtured me
spiritually I recall a couple of dear ladies (Ruby and Clara) from my earliest
years (pre-school through second grade)—both were apart of my life due to Sunday
school and church attendance. Ruby and Clara taught my peers and me a lot about
Jesus and His love for us.
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.
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?
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| Personal photo |
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.
They generally remain our staunchest
supporters even when we make not so good decisions.
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 and faithfully prayed for us—giving
us encouragement at just the right time. 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, we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
Happy Mother’s Day!!
I love this tribute to mothers...both spiritual and natural as well as those who are mother-types in our lives. Yes, I do remember my early childhood Sunday School teachers...that was a precious time in my life, and I can remember the songs we sang and the stories we heard. That made a huge impact on my life and helped nurture me into becoming a spiritual woman today. I have admired many spiritual mothers throughout my life, in addition to my own dear mother, who did a wonderful job by setting the example for me as a mother and wife. I pray that I may be that kind of role-model for other young women in my life. I think of my own sweet new daughter in law, who just lost her own mother a few weeks ago. I love that we sit together in church each week, and we are hearing the same sermons, praying the same prayers, and growing in our relationship with Christ and each other in the process. This is exciting to me. Thank you for this thoughtful Mother's Day post today, Kim. May God bless you this weekend as you honor your mother's memory, and also as you continue to nurture those around you who are looking to you for spiritual guidance. Sending hugs and love your way today.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, Pamela, and for sharing your thoughts and memories here today. Wishing you God's blessings this weekend as you honor your mom's memory, as well as your daughter-in-law's mom's memory. May the way your family and church honor you warm your heart too. Sending hugs and love your way today, as well.
DeleteBeautifully said, Kim! We can all be moms to others when we offer nurture, encouragement and love to them. Mother's Day is, indeed, a time to reflect on the important role each of us play every day.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Martha! Yes, all women have an incredibly important role to play in the whole of life. God bless you on this special weekend and always!
DeleteLove and blessings!