When Mother’s Day Weekend is Hard

Hey ya’ll. It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog since I’m usually doing videos and lately been moving!! Anyway, I wanted to post to reach out to those of you who are having a tough time this weekend because Mother’s Day can really suck for some of us. It’s just not the Hallmark Holiday the world makes it out to be, so we have to deal with those feelings of feeling left out, or less than because our expectations of what it “could” be don’t live up to what we think they “should” be.

If this is you, I beg of you to go easy on yourself this weekend. Give yourself a break, whatever the reason you are feeling crappy. Maybe you feel like you aren’t measuring up as a Mom. Maybe you feel like your Mom didn’t. Maybe you and your mom are distant right now – physically and/or emotionally. Maybe your Mom isn’t with us. Maybe you never really had a mom. Maybe you are a mom who lost her baby or has always wanted to have a baby and it hasn’t happened. Whatever the reason, you need to know – that no matter how you FEEL, that you are loved. No matter how broken or bruised your heart might feel, the Lord wants you to know you are loved and he can fill every single crevice of that brokenness you feel, because that is what his purpose is – to love you with the love only He can give, and heal your heart. 

See, the Lord knew that our parents (and we) wouldn’t be perfect. He knew we would need him. That’s why he made all of us human, so that when we were ready we could find that we could lean on him. If you haven’t read it, get “Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul,” by Stasi Eldredge,” which talks about how we as women are really created to have a special connection to God. Here’s a quote:

“That longing in the heart of a woman to share life together as a great adventure-that comes straight from the heart of God, who also longs for this. He does not want to be an option in our lives. He does not want to be an appendage, a tagalong. Neither does any woman. God is essential. He wants us to need him-desperately. Eve is essential. She has an irreplaceable role to play. And so you’ll see that women are endowed with fierce devotion, an ability to suffer great hardships, a vision to make the world a better place.“

You see, if you come to Jesus – you aren’t so worried about your weakness because you know he is your strength. If you come to Jesus – you aren’t so worried about your Mom not being there, because you know he is there. If you come to Jesus, you can become the woman you are called to become regardless of how you feel, because Jesus knows you are absolutely ENOUGH for him. He is your enough. You don’t need to be enough. He wants you to receive HIS enough.

So this weekend, when you are having those moments of struggle, just rest in Him. Lean on Him. When you see that Mom and daughter and you wish you could be with your Mom in that way. When you see that woman with a baby and wish you had that baby in your arms. When you see that Mom who seems to have it all together and you wish…yeah, that’s the enemy trying to get you to believe some Mom is better than you at the job. But God picked YOU for your kids. God picked YOU for your step kids. God picked YOU for the kids you mentor. God picked YOU for your puppies and kitties. God picked YOU for who or whatever it is he has CHOSEN you to parent. And if you are feeling abandoned by your mom, please please lean on the Lord. If she wasn’t there the way you wanted her to be, consider it a gift. Yes I said, a gift because that opens the door for the Lord to come into your heart even more. What a blessing.

This morning, the Lord brought me into the Psalms and to Ruth. In the Psalms he showed me this verse, 

“Though my father and mother forsake me,
The Lord will receive me. 
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.“
Psalm 27:10-11

Do you know what forsake means? It means to abandon. SO often we feel abandoned. Maybe it’s physical. Maybe it’s emotional. But that verse shows me and has showed me for YEARS that the Lord wants to take us into his arms and TEACH us his ways and LEAD us down HIS path.

And in Ruth, the story goes that Ruth followed her mother-in-law after her husband died and Boaz saw the sacrifice she made. He said in Chapter 2, 11-12:

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband-how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 

How beautiful is that last line? May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Wow. Maybe you just aren’t close to your mom physically. She’s far away from you right now and you don’t get to be together this weekend, and you miss her. Maybe you feel bad you aren’t close to her so you can go over to her house and give her a hug or some flowers. I know my Mom lives far away, and I miss her this weekend. But then the Lord showed me this part of Boaz and I was reminded of the promises of God, even though I moved halfway across the country – I KNOW the Lord will bless me because he has blessed me.

So if you struggle this weekend, go easy on yourself. Let yourself be sad if you are. It’s okay. Then give yourself some credit for the Mom God made you to be – in whatever way you are and if you don’t get the credit for that? Realize that God sees. God knows. God cares and that’s what is important. I also say to you, good job – doing God’s work – being a mom in whatever way you do. Props to you. Keep doing what you are doing in raising up our next generation. Have a great weekend.