“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3
“[Motherhood] is the hardest job you’ll ever love.” – Unknown
Mom.
It’s the word most often wailed from children’s bedrooms in the middle of the night, signifying some minor disaster – a wet bed, a nightmare or a bout of the flu. It’s the word many children choose first when they are injured or frightened. And it’s universal. Small children all over the world look to their moms as the go-to problem solver, chief comforter, cook and bottle washer. When we are little, we believe that mom can, in some supernatural way, make everything better.
As we grow, we learn that moms are not supernatural (and for our adolescent years, we briefly wonder if moms know anything at all). But regardless of our relationships with our moms or our children, there is something undeniably special about the unbreakable bond between a mom and her kids. It is perhaps one of the best earthly examples of the love our God has for us.
Being a mother isn’t easy, though. The pay is nonexistent, but motherhood is a lot of work, a lot of time and a whole lot of worry. For women in difficult circumstances, there can be so much more to worry about. When food is short, many moms go without, trying to figure out how to make food bank supplies last a little longer. When there is conflict, women and girls are brutalized as the spoils of war.
Now in Nigeria, the hearts of the mothers of nearly 300 teenage girls are breaking over their ongoing abductions by militants who are threatening to sell them – an unthinkable act of violence against the girls and their moms and families.
Children are a gift of God to their parents. They are valuable beyond imagining, but they cannot be bought or sold.
Motherly love isn’t just some idealized sentiment for flowered cards or bouquet of flowers. It is deep, it is fierce, it is beautiful and it can help us see how much our God loves us.
This Mother’s Day is also Solidarity Sunday with Canadian Baptist Ministries. They are helping moms in many parts of the world to improve the life of their whole family. Through Sowing Together, they are investing in moms, and moms are investing in their families.
As you shower your mother with gifts, or as you are thusly showered, consider doing these things:
- Join with CBM and give so that another mother can have a brighter future for her family.
- Pray for the abducted girls in Nigeria, that God would move in powerful ways to return them to their families.
- Pray for the moms around the world who are struggling with poverty or violence, that God would protect them and provide for them.
These are really good investments.
In some places around the world, women are among the most marginalized despite their potential to be the greatest influencers for change. This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and CBM is featuring our global work that empowers women to be the change their communities need.
“Women are the backbone of society, family and our church. They are integral to the reconstruction of society.
Dr. Kakule Molo, President, Baptist Community in Central Africa in DR Congo.This Sunday on Mother’s Day, unite with Canadian Baptists across Canada and sow some change through Solidarity Sunday.
Further details are available at http://www.cbmin.org/sowing
