We Are Mothers

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. – 2 Timothy 1:5

We are mothers.

We are the ones who loved you before you were ever conceived. We are the ones who protected you, prayed over and sang to you even while you were in our wombs.

We remember the moments, days and years you cannot. We remember the first flutter of life within us, the moment we first saw you squirm on the sonogram. We remember the first time we held you – the tears, the laughter, the overwhelming love and bond we experienced in those first moments. Those moments and those emotions never left us. God planted them deep within our hearts as we continued to love and nurture you.

We are the ones who rocked, fed and sang to you all night long when you were fussy. We are the ones who wiped every drippy nose and tended every cough and scraped knee.

We are the ones who talked to you about Jesus long before your minds could comprehend the concepts of God, redemption and grace. And we are the ones who made it our greatest priority to be living representations of His love and grace every day of your lives.

We are the ones who sacrificed our wants and needs so we could meet yours. We gave up our right to sleep, our need for food and our right to privacy. We gave up many of our hopes and dreams and invested all of them in you.

We taught you your first words and helped you take your first steps. We simultaneously rejoiced and cried on your first day of school, and we were remember your first crush. We were there to comfort you when your heart was broken and to celebrate when your heart was full.

We stood by you and believed in you when no one else would. We defended you, we admonished you, we encouraged you, and, through it all, we loved you. We are mothers. That’s what God made mothers to do.

We forgave you and pointed you to Christ when you rebelled. We taught you through Scripture and life example the cost of each lie you told us. And when you, in your defiance, angrily shouted that you hated us, we were reminded all the more how much we love you.

When we saw you going your own way, we strove to direct you to God’s way. We shed countless tears, offered up an immeasurable number of prayers and experienced untold sleepless nights as we took our burdens for you to the Lord.

And when you kept your feet on level paths, when you walked in truth and love, we gave glory to our heavenly Father for the good work He had done in you.

We are your chauffeurs, your chefs, your teachers, your mentors, your nurses, your cheerleaders, your counselors, your personal bankers, your greatest earthly advocates and your lifelong friends. And you are our joy, whether you bring us honor or grief, because you are our children, and we are your mothers.

We would gladly allow ourselves to be puked on, pooped on, overextended and underfed just to do it all over again. And we do it all out of our of love for our Lord and love for you. Because we are mothers. That’s what God made mothers to do.

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