Yes, I'm a Mom but...

Somehow today I am supposed to be elevated to almost a godlike status somehow? I am supposed to feel my worth in how well I am treated by my children?

I have often wondered about this. You see, I have three children. Two of them are

still in contact with me but one has sadly left the fold. So days like this one, Mother’s Day, can be difficult for me. It is hard for me not to think of the “what if’s” and “if only’s.”

We mothers are not gods. We have feet of clay, I have learned. I mothered much the way I was mothered, warts and all. Not to say that my Mom is not a great Mom. Guess what? My Mom mothered the way she was mothered, and her mother mothered the way she was mothered.
The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, you know.

So what’s the point of making a big deal of Mother’s Day? Well, we take a day to honor and remember the things she did for us, which should not be limited to just one day a year. We are admonished to honor our parents in the Word of God everyday so that our lives would go well with us. There reaches a point in human maturity when one stops blaming their parents for all of their problems and takes on responsibility for their own life. Yes, we all have been handed a raw deal. It is called the fall of man and it started when Eve took the fruit from the serpent. Ever since then, there has been no perfect mother, and no perfect family. Our excuses might sound good before men, but they won’t stand before God. We each will stand alone.

So, on Mother’s Day, I did get very kind thanks from two of my children and I am quite grateful for that. But could I be happy if not even one of them acknowledged me? That one is a tough one to think about, but if I let my mind think with the Word of God, I could say “yes,” I could still be happy.

You see, my happiness should not depend on the kind of card I get, the gifts I get, the adulation from others. It all boils down to this: ONE Person came down from His heavenly abode and all His glory and took on the likeness of human flesh to become one of us, made from dust and dirt. HE loved me enough to hang on the cross for me until all my sins, and everyone else’s too, were paid for. It comes down to these words describing Christ from the book of Galatians chapter 2, verse 20:
“who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (emphasis added)

Surely that is better than a card or gift on Mother’s Day, is it not? Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for what I have, but the greatest gift of all that remains is LOVE. His Love, demonstrated by giving Himself for us unconditionally on Calvary’s Cross. It was more of a sacrifice than any mother ever made for her child, it was more than any love one person showed for another, indeed, it was a love that was not from this world.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. I John 3:1 NASB

If a believing mother would happen to read this on Mother’s Day and for some reason is heartbroken for one reason or another, you still can rejoice, no matter what, for you have received the greatest gift of all: the love of God in Christ Jesus!

100 Things to be Thankful for-Part Two

My gratitude list, continued:

51. God alone made the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1: 1)
52. He created man in His own image. (Genesis 1: 27)
53. He makes everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
54. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13: 8)
55. God is faithful in calling us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1: 9)
56. God's agape love is not like man's kind of love. (I Corinthians 13)
57. Three things will remain forever: faith, hope and love. (I Corinthians 13:13)
58. He wants to reward for what He Himself does in us. (Philippians 2: 13)
59. He who began a good work in His children will complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1: 5)
60. If we are faithless, He remains faithful.(II Timothy 2: 13)
61. Jesus came into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in Him will not walk in darkness. (John 12:46)
62. A bruised reed Jesus Christ will not break. (Isaiah 42: 3)
63. By His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 5)
64. Christ's dying sacrifice satisfied God's justice once for all without need of repetition. (Hebrews 10: 12)
65. Christ has made believers kings and priests. (Revelation 1:6)
66. He has washed our sins in His own blood. (Revelation 1:5)
67. God is not willing that any should perish. (I Timothy 2:4)
68. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 18:23)
69. God had to bare His own arm for us by sending His own Son. (Isaiah 52:10)
70. God's righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. (Psalm 119:142)
71. There is no other God like our God. (Deuteronomy 4:39)
72. His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136)
73. We just need to Look upon Christ to be saved. (Isaiah 45: 22)
74. When Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount, He gave "Be-attitudes" and not "do" attitudes. We are transformed without travail by looking in the mirror of the Word. (II Corinthians 3: 18)
75. Moses had to cover His face to go into the presence of God, but we do not have to cover our faces. (II Corinthians 3: 16-18)
76. In the Savior are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)
77. Salvation is the gift of God, so no man can boast(in and of himself). (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
78. But we are allowed to boast in the Lord. (Psalm 34: 2)
79. We are free indeed in Christ. (John 8: 32-36)
80. The Lord of the Universe humbled Himself to be "born in a barn" among animals. (Luke 2: 7)
81. The Greatest became the least and our ultimate example of humility. (Philippians 2: 5-8)
82. Therefore God has given Him the name which is above every name. (Philippians 2: 9)
83. The Lord knows them that are His. (II Timothy 2: 19)
84. Our names our engraved on the palms of His hands. (Isaiah 49: 16)
85. Not one hair of ours will be lost even if we are hated for His name's sake. (Luke 21: 17-18)
86. Our sins are thrown into the deepest depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
87. Through Christ (and Christ alone) we have access to the Father. (Ephesians 2: 18)
88. Overcoming believers in the church of Laodecia will be able to sit with Christ on His throne. (Revelation 3: 21)
89. Whosoever will may come and believe in Christ and appropriate His saving work on their behalf. (Revelation 22: 17)
90. Whosoever may take of the water of life freely. (Revelation 22: 17)
91. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven but through Christ. (John 10: 1-3)
92. He calls His sheep by name. (John 10:3)
93. The Church Age will not be over until the "fullness of the Gentiles has come in." He will wait for the very last believer of the Church Age. (Romans 11: 25)
94. He does all things well. (Mark 7: 37)
95. The believer's times are always in God's hands. (Psalm 31: 15)
96. Precious in His sight are the death of His saints. (Psalm 116:15)
97. For the believer in Christ, living is Christ. (Philippians 1: 21)
98. For the believer in Christ, dying is gain. (Philippians 1: 21)
99. For the unbeliever in Christ, it is never too late to change your mind as long as you have breath, because God does not mark our iniquities, there is forgiveness with Him if you seek it. (Psalm 130: 3-4)
100. That He begs us seek Him while He may be found, and to call upon Him while He is near!(Isaiah 55:6)

If you have read this long blog post, I thank you. If you do not have the assurance of salvation as a free gift through Christ, I urge you to look up these beautiful promises from the Word of God, these wonderful gifts freely given through the grace of Another. You do not have to sweat or strain to get to heaven, and no matter what you have done in the past, you can be forgiven. All that work was already done for you, courtesy of the Lord Jesus Christ! No other religion or god can promise you these things. Today can be the day of your salvation!

Make the Call!

This past week, there were some people whom I hadn't talked to in a long while. I was tempted to, no, I will just admit, that I did feel sorry for myself, that these people had not picked up the phone and called me. It is easy for me to start on a downward spiral with a slew of negative thoughts when I get into "stinking thinking." Do you ever think to yourself, "Why does it have to be me who has to make the effort all the time?"

But what if my Lord thought that way, even for one tiny second? I would be lost for sure. If He would have thought that while He journeyed to the cross, He could have put it down and simply walked away, telling the Father, "Why do I have to be the One that gets nailed to that tree?" Where would I be going then? (Hint, it would not be heaven.)

But Christ knew the definition of agape. He knew love thinks not of itself. So after I realized how selfish I was being, I picked up the phone, swallowed my pride, and made the calls. And I had some wonderful conversations with people that were long overdue. So what if I had to call them! The important thing was that I wanted to tell them I loved them. That is what I wanted to convey. I am slowly, oh ever so slowly starting to see, this life is not about me.

When I focus on me I am miserable. It is about Christ and His love: His love for people. That is what He came for. He didn't come just to make me comfortable. He came so that people would know that He loves them.