Happy Mother’s Day!
Meet Shelley. I want to take the opportunity to honor my mother. I found this picture and I believe it picks up where I left off last week. We had an amazing night of prayer in our community.
This is my mother holding her first granddaughter at our Annual National Day of Prayer Rally many years ago.
This about sums her up. Prayer, praise, and babies. I can’t remember a time she wasn’t humming something or praying in the Spirit. She has served as a teacher in lower elementary for 30 years. She has since retired and is still volunteering when she can. However, her children are now having their own babies, and so she spends her days helping us. Her dream was to be a mother and now she is a grandmother of six. She will be 71 this month and she just spent almost a month with my sister, helping her prepare for our newest member to be welcomed into the world. Tessa Grace came into our lives April 23rd at 4:23 in the morning. Surprise!!
At 71, my mother is not on any medication. She drives all over to see her grandbabies, and then helps us with laundry and cleaning, if it’s needed, on top of babysitting the kids. This lady has figured out how to do or make most things on her own, but if you ask her what she is most proud of, she would say us. If you ask me what I’m most proud of, I would say her faithfulness to Jesus and her commitment to our local church by serving in whatever capacity was needed at the time. She was our worship leader my whole life growing up.
So, back to the praise, prayer, and babies again, for it’s what gives her good energy. She loves to see them grow. She loves to see their personalities develop. She teaches them biblical truths through little songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. She walks along with them. She was an “on their level” kind of teacher. She still is.
Thank you, Mom, for showing me faithfulness. Thank you for your consistency to serve in your local community. Something else she does often is pray for this country. She has been grieved over this country. She is passionate about politics and she prays often for the Father to show us mercy. I don’t know the prays she has prayed that has saved me, but I’m thankful to know I was covered and still am. She never stops, for her spirit will not allow her too. She was born to intercede. She was born to teach. She married a farmer and she has been farming hearts for as long as I can remember, planting and watering all along the way. So, thanks mom for seeding me with good things. Those seeds have sprouted and now your little ones are turning into trees of righteousness.
“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.””
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
Again, Happy Mother’s Day. To those who have lost a mother, lost a child, are a single mom, a widow, I want to honor your service and sacrifice, but I’d also like to take a moment to say it’s okay if this day doesn’t feel happy to you. I wish I could sit with every one of you who have gone through a loss in your life, but humanity holds me in one place. I just wanted it to be said, that I see you too.
One final thought…
Being a mother is a high calling, and I can’t say I felt completely prepared to mother well in the beginning, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, I’m getting well. Tending to little hearts and big hearts is eternal work. There is goodness in this space, and I believe an extra measure of grace comes when you take the time to not just listen to their little cries, but allow them to process those feelings along the ride. We are their safe space. We are their place to process freely. Little ones haven’t learned how to manage all the heavy emotions that come upon them yet. Maybe you as an adult haven’t learned completely how to process heavy emotions yet either. Well, here is your lifeline. Call on the Divine. He is waiting to send you a line, to bring peace to your mind. So, you can continue going about your day with grace and a happy face. It’s that easy when you actually believe it. This is walking by faith, not by sight. Faith sees beyond the circumstance and believes He will be faithful to help see you through it.
Just one day at a time. We only have mercy for today. So, I love you ladies. I love you, Mom. Thanks for planting. Now let’s keep going!
Until next time,
Stay tender.
Connect to the Mender.
Be a sender.
P.S. This song just found me today and I had to add it, for it's a song to the mothers from the Father, and a song from us to play over our children. I hope you enjoy. The whole CD is worth a listen.
"Safe Place" by Spencer Annis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRRz5Qq4n5s
Here is a closing sentiment from my mom in response to today’s blog. She didn’t know it was coming and her heart poured out and it’s too good not to share it. My hope is that it inspires you as it has me. I hope you feel happiness from her thankfulness.
Thank you for the tribute. I in turn give praise, honor, and thanksgiving to the ONE who saved me, changed me, put the love in my heart for children, and for the Holy Spirit who intercedes through us. It's the circle of life...we come from God, live for God through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus, and go back to God. Life is about Him ...life IS HIM. So thankful for the seeds my mother, grandmother, dad, and church planted in me. They are seeds of LIFE. He's ALIVE in US! Miracle of miracles. May all our children, and their children, and their children, and their children, etc..know Him and walk with Him all their days through all the generations until His return and then for eternity. Thank you for the kind words. I love you too. Pastor Bob said one of the woman instrumental for getting Mother's Day a declared holiday did it not because she loved her mother..but because her mother loved her. ❤
You know how l Love BABIES! Just seems like yesterday we brought you home...and l finally had one of those precious little miracles, on loan from God, that He had given me to raise up for Him. Those days after birth were some of the closest times with God l have felt. I was overwhelmed by love for my baby. I felt that very love was what he had for His Son, and then to give Him up to die such a terrible death for me and others, brought me to sobbing tears as l was enveloped in His Love.. those were divine moments to me that I'll never forget. The love of the Father is so great...soooooooo great! Glory to God in the Highest!!!
I felt like that with each one of you. There was a song l sang to each one of you too that only came to me after y'all were born. Don't remember it.. didn't record it. But it was the same song for each one of you. My heart was FULL of LOVE and GRATITUDE to the Father for giving me such a miracle of love.