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Abraham Lincoln famously said, “All that I am or hope ever to be, I get from my mother – God bless her.”
You may not know that his mother died when he was nine years old.
Yet her impact on him would guide his entire life.
A closer look at mothers.
May Patterson has been writing and teaching Bible study classes for years. May trained in small group dynamics for over ten years with Bible Study Fellowship, serving as a leader for four years. She has written for various magazines, including Focus on the Family, Upper Room Magazine, and iBelieve, and is a sought-after public speaker. May is married to her dear friend, Mike, and they have three grown children. She loves to tell stories, laugh, and discuss the adventure of seeking God.
May was inspired by Paul Harvey's "So God Made A Farmer," so she wrote the following:
So God Made a Mother
At the dawn of time, God needed someone He could trust to love His precious children.
And so, God made a mother.
God said, “Life will often be harsh. I need someone with a gentle touch. Someone who can brush a tear from the downy cheek of a newborn and gauge a child’s temperature without the aid of a thermometer. I need someone who has a special knack for soothing, who can kiss away pain and soften blows. Someone who will hold her child’s hand firmly, until she has to release it, tearfully, on the first day of school.”
And so, God made a mother.
“I need someone who will care enough to gather daffodils and put them in a vase, so everyone in the house can enjoy the first blooms of spring. Someone who will care enough to rummage through the mismatched sock pile, in hopes of finding a match. Someone who will make birthdays extra special, sing silly songs with her toddlers in the car, and who actually wants to go on a school field trip to the insect museum, just to be close to her child.”
God thought, “I need someone who will play Christmas carols on the piano. Someone who will decorate gingerbread houses with the kids and wrap gifts and deck the halls for Christmas, for nothing in all my creation will be able to make Christmas as special as a mother will.”
And so, God made a mother.
“I’ll make someone who can gather a chaotic, busy family around the dinner table for chicken soup, cornbread, and sharing life together. Someone who will organize playdates, piano lessons, and the pantry. I need someone who can find the lost football cleat, Dad’s keys, and ‘Bun-Bun,’ her little girl’s favorite stuffed bunny.”
“I need someone who can unload the dishwasher, pack lunches, call out spelling words, and make coffee, while bouncing a baby on her hip. Someone who will carry an amazing array of toys, snacks, and essentials in her heavy purse, and never complain. I need someone to help with endless school projects, organize the football banquet, and say, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ even when her child fails.”
“It must be someone who is willing to keep going, even when she thinks she has no strength left. Someone who’ll strive to love her kids and to love their father even more. I need someone who’s willing to work the second shift, or take second best, or play second fiddle, so her family will have it better than she did.”
And so, God made a mother.
“I need someone who believes. Someone who will trust that I have a good plan for her and for her children, even when she can’t see it. Someone who will pray for her family daily, for sadly, few people will. I need someone who will share my words and encourage her children to believe in Me because I am the source of life.”
God said, “I’ll place a second pair of eyes in the back of a mother’s head, give her bionic ears, and grant her a generous portion of laughter and tears, for she will need them.”
“Sometimes she’ll feel like she doesn’t have what it takes. There will be days when she is overcome with worry, pain, or failure. But when the need arises, she’ll be there. And while motherhood will be difficult, she’ll come to embrace it with all of her heart.”
“Yes, this is exactly what I need. To put it simply, I need someone who will love my children like . . . well, kind of like I do,” God laughed.
“So, I’ll give each mother a heart the size of Texas, and if she’ll let me, I’ll fill it with my special, forever-kind of love. A love that resembles my own.”
“Once I put a precious baby in her arms, she will never be the same. One day her children will grow up and move on, but she never will. As long as she lives, she will fight for her children, pray for them, and sacrifice for them.”
And so, God made a mother.
Takeaway
She is her baby’s very first love.
Her influence lasts much longer than her life.
Her love is a living, breathing display of God’s love.
And while some earthly mothers fail to do so, many strive to love their children well. Consider all God asks mothers to do:
- Comfort (Is. 66:13)
- Talk about God’s word often (Deut. 6:6-9)
- Encourage (Heb. 10:25)
- Be appreciative (Ps. 127:3)
- Set a good example (Prov. 20:7)
- Provide discipline (Prov. 13:24; 19:18)
- Love sacrificially (Titus 2:4)
Mothers are often unappreciated, but God highly values them.
Some consider mothers to be weak, but God gave them profound strength.
Mothers are often disrespected, but God takes them seriously.
And so should we.
On Mother’s Day, our nation will pause to honor our mothers. While they aren’t perfect, they deserve recognition for the good that they do and the love that they give.
You only have one mother in this life. Remember to honor her.
Mother’s Day is a great opportunity, so use it to give your mother a hug and a heartfelt compliment. Make a call. Share a family meal. Send a card saying that you love her. Overlook your differences. Don’t let this Mother’s Day go by without letting your Mom know how much you appreciate her.
If your mother has passed, think of the goodness she planted in your life.
Be Blessed.