Finding Hope in the Gospel on Mother’s Day

(and Everyday)

One night this week as I was tucking my daughter into bed, she looked up at me and said, “Mom, I wish it was over. I wish things would go back to the way they were. I miss going to church and going to school and just going out and doing stuff.”

As we talked about the things running through her mind, my own heart echoed those same feelings.

“Me too, Lord,” I prayed. “I’m tired, and I want things to be the way they used to be. This is hard. Really hard. And I don’t always know what to do.”  

We’ve all felt the strain of this unnatural lifestyle we’re living, haven’t we? As a mom, I have often felt that it is up to me to bear the weight of this burden for my children. I want to protect them from feeling the brokenness. Sometimes I’m determined that if I just play enough games, plan enough activities, take enough walks, then I will be able to shield them from the harshness of reality.

But it’s smoke and mirrors. No matter how hard I try, I can’t neutralize the fact that these are life-changing times. And as a mom, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Making Memories

There’s an essay floating around on Facebook – maybe you’ve seen it. It sets the stage decades in the future, with a grandchild asking his grandma what it was like during the coronavirus. “That must have been horrible, Grandma,” the child says as he describes what he learned in school about death rates, school shutdowns, and food shortages.

“Well, that is all correct,” says Grandma. “But to tell you the truth I remember it differently.” She goes on to describe all the wonderful things her mother did with her – the picnics and movie nights, the hours of playing outside, baking bread and pastries, and never being told that Mom was too busy.

The message is clear: it’s up to you what kind of memories your kids will have – make sure they are happy ones.

I don’t know about you, but this essay has been a sore spot for me. Sure, I want to do all the things and create all the memories. But here’s reality: I will never be creative enough, or strong enough, or happy enough to remove the weight of brokenness from my children. If getting them through the storm unscathed is all on me, then we’re in trouble.

You Are Not Enough.

As I thought about what to write in honor of Mother’s Day, I mentally flipped through the blog posts for moms that I’ve seen recently, and the truth is, I felt a little disappointed.

“You are enough,” they say. “You are an amazing mom! No one is judging you. Do what’s right for you and your child. Trust your intuition.”  

And while these messages all sound good – and in some cases they might provide a moment of encouragement when we’re having a down day – they don’t go far enough.

In my flesh, I want to believe that I am enough. I want someone to tell me that I’m the perfect mom for my kids, that I am what they need, that I have everything I need to make their lives happy and safe.

But the truth is, I don’t. I’m not. I can’t be.

And – thankfully – that’s not my job.

If I’m trying to gloss over the hard things and curate an experience that includes only happiness, then I’m robbing my children of the chance to learn how Jesus meets their needs. They’re going to walk through many storms in their lives, and they need to hear how the gospel applies to their lives right now, today.

Hope for Moms in Scripture

Here’s another truth that sometimes hits too close to home, though. I can’t point my kids to Jesus if I’m not finding my own hope and rest in Him.

And so, in honor of Mother’s Day, I asked some of the moms in our church to share verses that have served as strongholds for them. As I read through their comments, I was moved to see how many of them talk about God’s faithfulness to work in our lives and our children’s lives, even when we cannot see the result.

New moms, moms of teens, moms of adult children – they all came back to the same theme. When we are tired, when we have no strength, when our children are running from God, when we cannot see a way through – God is enough.

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Isaiah 40:28–29 – Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, He increases strength.

“As a mother, I’m limited, I grow weary, and I’m in need of wisdom. These verses encourage me with truths about my Lord. The Creator formed and sustains all things; He is not exhausted; He is infinitely wise, and His power and strength are offered to me!”

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Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

“This verse was written on a goodbye card given to me by a teacher when I left a Christian school where I was working as a teacher’s aide. We were moving to South Carolina in October of 1985, and this verse encouraged me to diligently seek God and to put my trust in Him. Over the years, He has given and continues to give me the desires of my heart through my loving family and dear friends.”

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Habakkuk 3:17-18 – Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food; though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.

“One of my richest blessings is being a mother. There have been many days of deepest joy and some of profound sorrow. My prayer has been to love God regardless of my circumstances. This verse has been a touchstone to help me keep my perspective for the ups and downs of my life.”

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Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

“With Jesus, there’s always hope! Don’t lose hope. God has my child’s heart and He’s not done writing the story. Be patient. My journey with Jesus was a process (and still is), so I know my child’s will be too. Don’t stop asking. Keep praying for that child, asking God to do a work. It may seem like He’s silent, but He hears!”

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Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

“These verses helped me understand how the Word of God should be taught to my children on a daily basis as we went through our daily routine. The Lord impressed on me that I should include him in my daily conversation with the children and teach them who He is and that He is always with us. We based what we said and did on the knowledge that He was always with us and wanted us to love and obey Him.”

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Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

“It can be discouraging not to see immediate results. It helps me to remember that parenting is a marathon and not a sprint. When I’m working through difficulties with my kids, this verse reminds me not to give up just because I don’t always get the desired result right away.”

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Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

“As a mom of adult children, this verse gives me hope. What God started with my children, He will complete – in His time, in His way. I was an instrument in their lives in the early years and now God will use other instruments in their lives, including His Word that does not come back void. I can trust God and I can trust His timing because His ways are perfect.”

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I John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

“For the regrets that I have, for the mistakes that I have made as a mother, for the times I wish I could have one more chance, I go to this verse. The devil stands as a great accuser, but our Loving Shepherd stands as a great defender. The gospel truth is that we all make mistakes in mothering. We all wish it was a perfect home for our children to grow up in – but we are all sinners. God’s grace has redeemed us and restores despite our best efforts. My heart cry is that God will restore the “years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). My prayer now is that I will love as He does, constantly speaking that kind of love into my children’s lives as an example of what He has done for me.”

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Mother’s Day will be different this year. We won’t be together at church, and many of us are carrying the weight of difficult things that have happened over the past year.

But Jesus is still enough.

Every day, in every circumstance, no matter what we’ve been through or what is still ahead, He is the faithful Shepherd who never leaves us alone and never gives up on us, even when we fail. He is enough for us, and He is enough for our children.

Always.