Today is Mother's Day here in Australia and elsewhere around the world; a day to show respect, honour and love to our dear mothers, as well as those women who may not have borne us but have carved their names upon our hearts and become as a mother to us.
What I am sharing today is quite personal, and if not prompted by the Lord I would not be opening myself this way, but perhaps He is looking into a heart, or many hearts, that need to hear?
I've no memory of celebrating a Mother's Day with my own mum as she died soon after my 3rd birthday, but just weeks after turning 18 I stepped into the meadow of lifelong motherhood myself and two months later experienced my very own special day.
It's an incredible thing as a teenager to hold a wee babe in your arms and realise he is yours. The surge of love catches you off guard - there is nothing to compare. You wonder at how your heart can hold such a force of emotion, such a depth of possession, and for the first time you understand the fervour of a lioness protecting her cub.
The years pass, times of joy, times of trial, times of change. More babes fill your womb, weigh in your arms through long sleepless nights, and take a piece of your heart forever.
Over the next twenty years there were long periods of separation and loss with some of my children, and I shall not share that as it's my very personal story which the Lord is still at work in, but the outcome was that Mother's Day became a day of pain and sadness, a day to 'wish away'.
Estrangement from your child/children can come about in many different ways and circumstances, so if you've experienced this too then your story and mine will probably be quite different.
But the pain? The shattering of your heart? That's something you and I may share.
I've not seen some of my children for over a decade, not had any contact at all with one. YET, I have not lost hope.
And that's what I am learning about this Mother's Day.
Don't lose hope. Don't EVER lose hope.
No matter what caused the separation and no matter who's at fault, you cannot go back and change it - but God can change the outcome and the hearts involved.
I was reading "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" recently and in chapter 13 Lysa TerKeurst talks about Israel's exodus from Egypt. Her description of what they would have felt as they stood before the Red Sea jumped off the page at me, and the Lord used it to drive home a truth about HIS power to change circumstances, and why I must never lose hope.
"The sea in front of them must have looked so big, so dangerous, so immoveable. The army behind them was deadly, horrifying and seemingly unstoppable. But the Lord was bigger than the immoveable and stronger than the unstoppable..."
(extract from "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" by Lysa Ter Keurst 2005)
Isn't that powerful!?
Do you look at your own situation as though you're standing in front of the impossible?
I did.
Lisa goes on to write - "...Israel had
no way to escape, but God cut a new path and made a way. Not only did
He make a way but He defeated the Egyptians, so as God had promised,
Israel never saw those Egyptians again. His strength was perfect. His timing was perfect. His plan was perfect."
This Mother's Day I shall fall to my knees and pray with JOY and HOPE for my estranged children and I shall wait for my seemingly immoveable ocean to part...because with Him nothing is impossible.
I may live through many more Mother's Days with no reconciliation of my estranged children, but that does not mean I should lose hope or stop praying. I shall pray with JOY as long as it takes because I was once estranged from my Heavenly Father and He did not give up on me.
And you know, this isn't about my plan.
This is about His plan, His perfect plan, which is always worth the wait.
Bless you always,
Download the printable Scripture card and devotion HERE.
30 comments:
I wish you happiness and hope.I know God will help you through your pain. HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You may have lost touch with your own children, but you have, through your beautiful words, personality, love and talent, acquired many, many readers who visit your blog for your words of wisdom, caring and just to brighten our day. Many of us look upon you as a mother figure. Your teaching me life skills that I never learnt from my mum (even though I love her dearly) and I know my daughter, who also loves your blog, sees you like a grandmother. So you are in the hearts and thoughts of many on mothers day.
Very moving. I'm so glad you have hope and I pray that you will soon be reunited. I'm ever so thankful to be surrounded by my three, sharing the day with my almost 80 yr old mum. I've been shedding tears all morning for my aunt who is spending her last Mother's Day with her daughter. It can be such an incredibly sad day too. However I'm determined to be grateful for every day.
Thank you Jenny for your inspirational post today. I too have an estranged child. I have been saddened these past few years, but I also never give up hope. I feel that if we are meant to reconnect God will make it happen somehow. No matter how hurt I've been in the past she will always be my child and have a place in my heart. I pray that she finds her way back to her family someday. Until then it is in the hands of the God. I wish you peace and happiness. Happy Mothers Day!
Bless your heart. Thank you for sharing your grief so others may have hope. Happy mother's day to you!
Thank you for obeying the Lord, and sharing these words. He knew my heart needed to hear this at this moment. Someday... But God... is my prayer for the restoration of the relationship with one of my children.
It hurts so much to have a child that you love with all your heart, lived your life for, and not have him be part of your life. Thank you for your post, it took great courage to make that public. Just know you are not alone, I don't understand, will never understand why, but I, like you will never lose hope that things will change. Hugs and prayers for you. Thank you for letting me know I am not alone. Happy Mother's Day!
May your prayers be answered... Happy Mother's Day! :) x
Love you so much dear girl - your children are always in my prayers.
I feel the pain of losing children. Thank you for today's thoughts. Another scenario that gets forgotten,like mine and others ,is our mums with Alzheimer's. There in front of us but not our mums as we remember.. Mothers Day can be a sad day for many without Christ,but we know to "Trust in TheLord" .
Oh Jenny
Happy Mother’s Day to you. Thank you for sharing your story...
And just reading the comments...there are so many stories...
Life can be unfair and painful at times but as you say Don’t ever give up hope! Don’t ever give up on God to do his thing at the right time...
A big hug to you and to all mums everywhere today. God Bless you all
Tanya Hughes Perth Western Australia xxxx
Liebe Jenny,
Gott erhört unsere Gebete immer !
Er beantwortet sie nur nicht immer so, wie wir es uns wünschen .
Ich werde für Dich und Deine Kinder beten und mit Dir hoffen, dass Ihr Euch wiederseht.
Ich wünsche Dir einen schönen Muttertag, sei nicht traurig , Du bist nicht allein
Liebe Grüße
Käthe
Faith, hope and Love.
Blessings and hugs.
You are an angel amongst us, God bless
We need our faith to keep us in hope and lifted up.
Feliz día, en España es el primer domingo de mayo
Happy Mother's Day!
Yes, I can say - don't stop praying and don't stop putting your hope and trust in the Lord. I too have experienced the deep shattering pain and heartache. To look at the pictures of the sweet child who clung to you when they were small, can rip a heart out, but God has been good.....and our prayers never stop. It has also given us a deeper walk with the Lord. Thank you for sharing! Happy Mother's Day!
Thank you dear for sharing your story. There is always HOPE! I am always amazed at how our lives unfold and the fact that we never know "The Plan". May your Mother's Day be fill with LOVE and JOY. Blessings...
Dearest Jenny. Thank you for your sweet post today. I have a beautiful daughter that I haven't seen in almost 15 years. I love her dearly and ache so much to be with her.Because of circumstances beyond my control, she decided she didn't want to be with me anymore. We were so close and this has hurt so much. My prayer is that I will get to see her once more before I leave this world. I know that through God anything is possible. Bless you, Jenny, for being such an inspiration to all of us.
Amen and amen, Jenny. Happy Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day Jenny. Thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us. I pray that you will experience reconciliation with your children. Thank you Jesus for giving Jenny hope and peace. God Bless you.
Happy Mothers Day: I miss my mom on Mothers Day, didn't matter what you got for her she was happy just to have me and my son over and stay with her as her day of knowing us were going away with her Alzheimer's. My husband always said to me that I wasn't his mother so I deserved nothing. So after many yrs I divorced him, I've been happy every since.
Hello Jenny, Today church for us was about Embracing our grief. A difficult subject for Mother's day yet there is much that goes with Mother's day that causes mixed emotions and often sadness. I for one do not like to make a lot of fuss about Mother's day. As much as I would like to be a wonderful mother I know that I have failed in many ways. My children could have easily been estranged from me as we endured many troubling years and there were times when I thought I would never see my children again. But by the grace of God we are together. He somehow healed hearts. I had read your post just before church and thought of you much during the service. The scripture was 2 Corinthians 1 :1-11. We heard about the comfort of God. He Comforts us in all our troubles.... Comfort..... to understand means, beside. To call to one's side. The one who comes alongside and brings strength. Family relationships can sometimes be the most difficult. I am praying for God to bring His comfort and peace as you wait for Him to bring healing to your situation. Also for strength to keep being the mama God wants you to be to the children you still have beside you. It is sometimes hard to move forward when you feel wounded.
Lean into His Arms. I know you are. There is much we can learn as He teaches us more of who He is during difficult times.
Sometimes the pain is so great you think you will not live through it but with the Almighty there is HOPE. I clung to so many promises.
This is another from todays service....
In the middle of it all .. "we learned not to rely on ourselves,but on God who can raise the dead."
"He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. " 2 Corinthians 1: 9-11. ( I like that reference 911, it is the emergency number in America... Anyone can call 911 and know that Help is on the way )
My prayers are with you today. For I am also a mama hanging on to Jesus.
In case others are wanting to reference your scripture could you check it. I think the scripture is Romans 12:12 . Might be a typo.
Blessings,
Janita
I've just read you post Jenny, and wanted to wish you a belated Happy Mother's Day for yesterday. No matter what the circumstances/enstangement, you are still a mum, and no-one can take that joy away from you.
Oh Jenny, what a touching post, you made me want to cry. I would like to wish you a belated happy Mother's day but even more, may you feel the nearness of God in it all, may it strengthen your faith, deepen your love and I do pray that there may be many blessings hidden among the sadness. Hugs, Sharon xx
Hope the estrangement resolves itself Jenny. At least you have Blossom and your youngest lad. Being a mum is hard work and sometimes no matter what you do you don't win
Your fellow mum and wannabe crafter Karna
Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs on this earth. It is also one of the most rewarding. My Emily has never been completely estranged from me, but we have certainly had extreme difficulties. Last night when she brought Seamus over for me to watch she had bought two bouquets of sunflowers, one for Seamus and one for Rowen to bring me. Of course the children were dwarfed by the huge flowers. She knows how much I love them having grown up in Kansas. She spent a lot of time envying other friends mothers. Yet last night for the first time she told me she was so glad that I was her mom. I didn't think I would ever hear her say those words. She was completely sincere as she spoke them also. Time and raising your own children can do wonders for an attitude. She and her husband have found their way back to Abba which certainly has helped. Dearest Jenny, there is always hope, and now that you have shared you will have added prayers and that can never hurt. I will add this to my Jenny prayers that I pray every day.
Jenny I love to read your blog....From your experiences to your talent, your doses of faith and heart breaking testimony's to the windows from yesteryear of growing up with your Gran. I love you and count you friend. And if only you were closer You would be part of my family. Hugs to you today and each day and on those days you need to reflect remember you are loved by so many. And it is his master plan as our lives unfold. It is not for us to know but to follow him and grow in our faith.
(((((Jenny))))) Prayers are always with you.
YOU are a treasure! I am grateful beyond words for you and your testimony and the gifts you share here with us, your readers.
Keep the faith!
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