Celebrating mothers of all kinds

We celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday, and although I was supposed to be in Minnesota with my mom, the lockdown meant I got to celebrate with my family here in London. I was sad that my parents didn’t get to see any of their family on this day as they observe sheltering rules, but we had some good conversations over the weekend. 

My mom is a woman of prayer, a ministry that she’s long had, along with her practical, hands-on service, but one that has especially flourished in recent years. Daily she prays for her family and others, and when I consider the potential effects of these prayers, I often think of the well-known saying by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”

Some will be breathing a sigh of relief now that the UK and US Mother’s Days are behind us, for they can feel painful for a variety of reasons. I like the social-media post of a friend that says, “I may not be a mother, yet I have mothered many students in my years of teaching.” She plays an important role in their lives, and her love that she pours out on them indeed embodies the grace of mothering.

May you know the love of God who said to his people: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” (Isaiah 66:13, NIV).