Today is a very special day. Today, we honor and show our gratitude to our encouragers, our friends, our number one fans, and most of all, the ones who showered us with unconditional love and care – our mothers!

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms!

Every year, we celebrate this special day, and every year, our moms give us more and more reasons to be grateful to them. Back in pre-school, we thanked our moms for the smallest things, like crayons, stuffed toys, or candy. Later on in life, our moms would become a source of so much more, giving encouragement and an understanding ear as our first-ever confidantes. Our moms change as we change, and they always try to give us the best.

Moms in the Bible

The Bible actually gives us different pictures of amazing mothers. We have Sarah, who was initially barren, but eventually became a mother to Isaac, when God fulfilled His promise to her and Abraham. She appeared to be a very protective mom who took good care of Isaac, to the point of guarding him against his half-brother when they were younger (see Genesis 21:10). We also have Mary, whose faith would allow her to give birth to our Savior, Jesus Christ (see Luke 2:7). And even Eunice, the mother of Timothy, who effectively passed on her faith to the next generation, raising Timothy as a young man with genuine faith (see 2 Timothy 1:5).

Then, we have Jochebed, the mother of Moses. At the time she gave birth to the future leader of the Jews, Egyptian oppressors had ordered that all Hebrew sons be thrown into the Nile to die. But Jochebed “. . .saw that the child was beautiful . . .”, so she hid him. Some people often joke that their faces are those that only a mother could love, but in this case, whatever Jochebed saw in Moses convinced her that it was worth disobeying the command of their Egyptian rulers. In the same way, the first person who sees and believes that we are meant for so much more are our mothers.

Moms as First Fans

Mothers delight in the strengths of their children: intelligence, creativity, talents, and more. They are our first fans, the first people to dote on us and spot the best in us; they do everything they can to prepare us for our future. Sometimes, we’ll wonder what they really see in us, because they seem to see beyond our outward appearance; no matter how hidden, they seem to have a way of recognizing our inward beauty, strength and intelligence.

This Mother’s Day, let your moms know how grateful you are for them. Thank them for believing in you, even when you feel like a failure. Thank them for loving you and accepting you, even at your worst moments.

Moms as a Reminder of Our God

Above all, I think our mothers are a gift, a reminder of God’s tender love and care for us. They constantly point us back to our need for love and support, and how God, as our Divine parent, is willing and able to support and guide us in everything that we go through in life. God’s love is even compared to a mother’s love: Isaiah 49:15 NIV, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

The idea of a mother forgetting her child may be absurd, but God assures us that even if mothers forget or fail us in any way, He will never forget us. Our mothers are a gift from God, but the ultimate gift He gave us came when Christ reconciled us to Him. In Christ, we have become the children of God.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

John 1:12 ESV

This should also be a tender reminder to those who may not have such a good relationship with our moms. Whether or not your mother is present in your life, God is present. He will not forget you, because He has adopted you to be His own child.

We may all come from different backgrounds, but today, I would like to encourage you to say a prayer for your mom. Thank God for her life, and for using her so you can be here today. Ask Him to bless her with His healing love for her own requests and needs.