Thanks Moms

Sunday is Mother’s Day and a reminder of how grateful we are for their investment in our lives. I don’t think the job description of any other job compares to that of a mom! Jackie Pilossoph writing in the Chicago Tribune detailed just what being a mom looks like when she wrote…

“A mom must care for, discipline, teach, raise, guide and nurture children. During the first few years, you will almost never be apart from the child. You will feed, bathe, and change the child, do his or her laundry and dishes, and keep the home tidy. If the baby is awake at night or needs changed, you will be required to assist. There are no exceptions. You also must be able to drive children to doctor appointments and participate in mommy and me at Gymboree. As the child grows, the job entails driving the kid to and from school and other activities, including but not limited to music, art, drama and sports activities. You will also be required to plan and execute birthday parties each year, help with homework, teach him or her how to drive, wait up for him or her to come home late at night, implement consequences for irresponsible behavior when applicable, and offer emotional support for friendship and romance dramas that will most likely occur. The mom must also be willing to be a role model for the child, keeping in mind at all times that everything said and done is having an impact that will greatly affect how the kid turns out as an adult. In other words, the job entails leading by example every minute of every day. The mom job is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no sick days and limited vacation days unless you are willing to take the child on vacation. Also, this job does not pay monetarily. In fact, the job entails the opposite – you pay for everything for the child from birth through college and possibly after. So, why would anyone want to be a mom? The benefits!

The sight of your baby will be so breathtakingly beautiful that you will take dozens of pictures every day, which you will show to anyone who is willing to look. You will laugh every day of your life, either because of something your child says or does, or because of the joy and giddiness kids bring to your soul. Falling in love with your child will make you want to have more children, and many of you will. You will take your kids to really fun places and watch their expressions the first time they ride the merry-go-round, pick pumpkins, ride a pony, sit on Santa’s lap, go on an airplane or play in the snow. you will appreciate every ounce of love your children give back to you, starting from the time they learn to express their feelings all the way through adulthood, when they tell you, “Mom, you’re my best friend.” And even though the job so often seems thankless, especially when toddlers turn into teens, you will see things in your kids that will make you proud… It will make all your hard work and dedication feel worth it. Perhaps the most significant benefit of being a mom comes in realizing that through raising remarkable people, you have somehow made a difference in bettering the world. Talk about giving your life meaning. But lastly, don’t forget about the benefit of fun. Your kids will keep you young, lighthearted and fearless to the many worries life tends to bring.” How true it is!

My mom never graduated from High School… but she was so wise. She was the first to recognize that God had a special calling on my life—Thanks Mom! She worked for years in a dry-cleaning factory, standing on her feet all day so that my sisters and I could have school shoes and clothes—Thanks Mom! She made dinner every night for our family to eat around the table—Thanks Mom! She made our holidays special with creative gifts and great food on a meager budget—Thanks Mom! She took me to church and VBS where I would give my life to Christ—Thanks Mom! She got me to ball practice, helped with schoolwork, and washed my clothes every day—Thanks Mom! And she did so many other things, and she did most of it after a full day of work, and never complained about how tired she was—Thanks Mom! That’s my mom story, but then that’s the mom story for most of us. So, on this day we say Happy Mother’s Day—you are beautiful and our life and world is different because of who you were and are.

Tell your mom you love her today! And when she gets up off the floor, then tell her “thanks mom”!

I love being your Pastor, and remember that God is always trying to take you someplace new.

For God’s Glory Alone,
Pastor Ray


Image credit: Unsplash