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Being a mom is a beautiful thing, but it comes with many down-sides as well.
To begin with, pregnancy isn't for the faint of heart! Besides the discomfort, the trouble sleeping, the weight gain and the fact that none of your clothes fit, there is the fear of miscarriage, the fear of birth defects, etc., to say nothing of the emotional upset that accompanies many unwanted pregnancies.
Then there's the whole birthing experience. I've done it twice and I can tell you with all honesty, it isn't a Sunday afternoon picnic! Fortunately women do have the ability to forget just a tiny bit of the pain. Otherwise I doubt any of us would ever have a second child.
Once back home there is the aftermath as your body attempts to heal, as you and your baby try to get used to breast-feeding, and especially the sleepless nights. In fact, when I was expecting my first and complained to my doctor about not being able to sleep, his response was it was to prepare me for after the baby was born! Thanks! Just what I needed to hear!
Yet somehow we get through all of that, and many of us have more than one baby. Why? Because the benefits of motherhood far outweigh any of that. When you hold that tiny baby in your arms, the love you feel for the little one is so overwhelming that most moms would do anything for that crying, often stinky bundle of .... Well perhaps "joy" isn't really the right word all the time ...
At the time this was written, I was expecting my first grandbaby.
No, neither of my boys' wives were expecting; nor did it seem that this would be an immediately upcoming reality. No, if I wanted a grandchild now, I would have to adopt one! And so I did. A beautiful baby boy in Ghana who would be born very close to my birthday last year.
As any proud grandma would do, I began thinking about baby gifts for my adopted grandson, and I asked the parents what their biggest need would be. The response was a crib or a rocking chair. The choice was easy. I kept thinking about how much my adopted grandson's mom would be going through. I remembered when I was a young mom and how I wished I could have had a rocking chair. Only the best for my little Ghanian grandson's mom!
Tomorrow is Mother's Day in most parts of the world, and as you think about your mom, try to remember the hard times they went through in birthing and raising you. Understand what a mighty love your mother has for you, and honor her accordingly.
At the same time, remember this: You who know the Lord have been born twice. Once to your earthly birth mom, and once in the Spirit: "'...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' ... Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3b-9 ESV). Our ability to be born again of the Spirit was also no walk in the park for our birth parent. Jesus earned that right for us by enduring the worst torment known to man: The cross!
And I would have to say that His discomfort probably didn't begin or end there!
First there was the whisper in someone's ear to pray for us. Then there was the work of softening our hearts enough to hear God's Spirit convict us of the need for a Saviour. And once we accept Jesus into our lives, I'm afraid that we aren't necessarily the easiest to live with either. There is the whole work of sanctification to be contended with. Every tiny step forward that we make towards being more Christ-like is accompanied by so much work on God's part to convict us of the need to change! Maybe your hearts aren't as hard as mine, but I, for one, fight God's Spirit continually!
But like any mom, no matter what the cost, no matter what the discomfort and pain, Jesus' love for us is just so mighty that He keeps on. And not only does He press on in making me more Christ-like, but He continues to try to draw as many children into His fold as possible!
Sometimes I wish I could give God's Spirit a rocking chair...
Wait. Maybe I can! Maybe I could change my prayer a tiny bit ... Maybe I could ask God's Spirit to work in me a softer heart! Maybe I could ask Him to give me the love that I need to be a willing pray-er for the lost! Maybe the "rocking chair" I could give to God would be to put His Great Commission as a primary priority!
Take time today to honor your mother. But also take time today to honor the one who is responsible for your re-birth, and maybe consider giving Him a present or two this year as well!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Moderator, Author, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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