A few weeks ago, they started popping up on my social media feeds.
You know exactly what I’m talking about.
The Mother’s Day wish lists. The ads for the perfect piece of jewelry. The promotions for the weekends away and the fancy meals out on the town.
Mother’s Day is really hard for some people. For those who have lost a mother, or for those who are struggling to be a mother. Mother’s Day is hard for mother’s who are grieving the children they had but lost or the children that expected and didn’t get.
If you are one of those Mother’s, I want you to know that I am thinking of you and praying for you. I’m sure that you simply want the day to be over and all the people to stop talking about it. I know there are several sweet letters out there written to you, and I hope you know that you are not forgotten and it’s ok to be hurting on Mother’s Day.
There are some other Mothers that struggle with Mother’s Day, and this letter is for you.
To the Mom who can’t afford Mothers Day:
I know seeing those advertisements and reading another wish list of Mother’s Day items is HARD. It seems like everyone else you know is getting the latest and greatest gadget or piece of personalized jewelry and you know in your heart that while your husband would love to purchase something for you, you simply cannot afford it.
Turn off the voices, Mama. Turn off the social media and the blog posts bombarding you. Turn off the voices that are telling you that she has everything you could ever want. Turn off the voices that you are less of a mother than the woman who gets to go away for the weekend. Turn off the voices that you are less of a mother than the woman who can afford that new household appliance or piece of jewelry. Turn off the voices that you are less of a mother because your husband will probably end up having to buy a wilted bouquet from Walmart instead of a specially selected one from the florist.
Turn off the voices of all those around you and look instead at the gifts that you have been given.
Look into the eyes of your children and watch the smile spread across their faces as they draw the marker across the page to write “I LOVE YOU MOMMY”.
Look at the personalized letter that your toddler painstakingly scrawls on the page- a T for her first name. And while it’s not hung around your neck on a gold necklace, it’s drawn across that piece of paper with all the love in the world.
Look at the wilted flowers that your husband brings through the doors and be grateful that you have a husband who sees how hard you work and what you do for your children.
Look at the sticky hands and faces of your children as they devour the special homemade pancakes and make a face at the lunch that they worked really hard to put together with Daddy.
Look at the words of Scripture and remember the promises that God has put there for you as a Mother- promises that he is the Creator and sustainer of life. He is the gifter of these most precious gift and He loves to see you as you parent them day in and day out.
Look at the Scripture and the promises that the Lord gives us that he will be with us always- even on the lonely days, on the puke-filled days, on the potty training days, on the sleepless nights and the solo parenting days and the teenage years. Look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the promises that He will give us everything we need for life and godliness- even if sometimes life is too hard for us to handle as mothers.
I know, I know- those things are all true, but wouldn’t it be nice to just receive something special? Well, yes, it would. But we need to remember that Mother’s Day is actually not about who can receive the best gift.
Instead, it’s about celebrating the best gifts that we have been given.
