Tag: Mother’s Day

A Faithful Mother

Leave a comment

“Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”  

Ruth 3:10-11 NKJV

Photo by Barbara Olsen on Pexels.com

Ruth had reason to throw in the towel. She left her family and her beliefs to follow her husband only to lose him without any children to carry on his legacy. She could have easily pulled the shade, curled up on her mat and slept her pain away. Instead, she held on to her newfound faith as if she was clinging on for her life, committing herself to her mother-in-law and her God. 

“For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.”

Ruth 1:16 NKJV

Her resilience, faith, obedience, integrity, and sacrifices ultimately led her to Boaz. Had she stayed in her room, she may have missed her kinsmen-redeemer—missed being the great grandmother of King David and being listed in the lineage of Jesus. 

Don’t let your situation keep you down. Get up and get moving. Your Redeemer still lives.

A Prayer for the Faithful Mother:

Heavenly Father, Despite my loss, You are still God. You are a restorer of all things lost when I feel like giving up. You give me the strength to relentlessly pursue and follow You in willful obedience, trusting You—for You are my God. On the other side of loss is joy and life that is available to me now.   In Jesus’ Name, Amen 

A Committed Mother

Leave a comment

“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 

Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.”

 I Samuel 1:27-28 NKJV

Photo by ermias Tarekegn on Pexels.com

Hannah. A woman with a burning desire to become a mother—committed to giving her child back to the Lord to be used by Him. Nurturing little Samuel until it was time to let him go to prepare for his calling. 

My favorite part of her story is the little robe. I can almost visualize her making it. Praying as she knit, thoughts of how her firstborn would be used by the Lord, her heart swelling with joy, mixed emotions of sadness as she looked forward to her annual visit with her son to deliver her handmade gift. The little robe, a reminder of her belief in what he would become. 

Maybe it’s the money, time spent at the sporting activities, the back and forth from drop-offs and pick-ups from lessons, the continuous prayers, the constant show of support, and the encouraging words. A mother’s support and commitment to her children never ends—even when they are off on their own. 

A Prayer for the Committed Mother:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for lending us Your children. Creating us to nurture, love, and teach them—preparing them for their destiny and teaching them how to depend on You. Please give us the wisdom to instruct them in Your ways and to encourage them along the way. Use them for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Mother’s Heart

Leave a comment

I’m back! 

Back to one of my love’s…writing. Not that I have stopped writing or ever will (Lord willing) but writing has looked different for me in this season. It’s been more personal. It has been a vehicle for processing the tough questions…” Did I get it right?”, “Did I take care of the people and things that God has trusted me with?”, “What’s next?”. Writing for me this season has been a searching, purging, and cleansing of the soul. 

Life has also been “lifing”! Though I feel like I have been present, time seems like it is moving at a new rate of speed. Speaking of time flying, this weekend I had the privilege of watching my son receive his bachelor’s degree. It seems like somehow overnight I became the mother of a 22-year-old college graduate. My once bright eyed, full of laughter baby boy is now a man with the world in front of him. 

It is hard to put into words what I felt in that moment or even today. Not because there aren’t any words, but rather there are so many. There is so much to process, all the memories, the answered prayers, and wishing I could shrink him back into his pint size packaging. Excited and at the same time just a bit anxious about the journey ahead. The gratitude I have for being chosen to be his mother. 

I have often wondered what this moment would feel like. None of them compared to what I am feeling. There have been moments where my heart has been so full I thought it would leap out of my chest. The quiet moments reflecting on the memories, silent prayers, sacrifices and tears shed over the years trying to figure out how to get this mothering thing right. 

Then there is the moment. What now? How do I transition to being the mother of an adult? How do I let go to watch what I gave birth to, nurtured, prayed over go into the world to find his own place in it? The answer – trust God. If we’re being honest, the answer is much simpler than the doing. We think we know what is best for our children when it’s always been God at the helm teaching us, protecting them, and preparing the path they would take. 

God has given women the greatest gift and privilege, second only to the gift of Jesus, with the gift of motherhood. He has entrusted us with the care of His sons and daughters, calling us to be fruitful and give Him glory in the process. To be fruitful, we must be willing to release what we produced – trusting God to take care of the rest.  Releasing what we have given birth to demonstrates our trust in God. Releasing gives space for God’s promises to unfold. He has a plan for our children’s lives, just like He has one for ours. Releasing does not change who they are, who we are or who God is. My son was God’s son first and will always be just like I will always be his mother. No matter what. 

As we approach Mother’s Day and in honor of mothers in every season of life, I will be sharing daily devotionals from A Mother’s Heart, a gift I wrote to encourage the special women in my life. A reminder of the greatness of who we are, to honor the sacrifices we are called to make, and to celebrate embracing the call of motherhood. Whether you have birth children or not, God has given you a mother’s heart. 

Forever Grateful, 

Jennifer 

P.S. Scrolling through the pictures from this weekend, I came across this picture that gently reminded me “Mom, it’s okay to let go now.” LOL. 

A Woman of Excellence

1 Comment

A couple months ago, our family said good night to a lady of excellence, who after 90 plus very full years on this earth transitioned to her eternal home. Our beloved Aunt Thelma was a godly woman full of grace, class, and dignity – a woman of excellence well respected in her family, community, and church. She set the bar high yet reached down to bring others up, desiring that we all chase excellence.

Everything she did was excellent. She spoke with excellence, dressed with excellence, and conducted herself with excellence. She modeled what excellence looked like in every area of her life.

She won her husband’s heart and remained his bride far beyond his death. She honored him in life and in death, keeping his name and accepting his family as her own – to which we are beneficiaries.  Her deep love for him was evident. There was no one who could or would take his place. Perhaps longing for the day they might see each other again, she kept a sweet photo of them by her nightstand up until her transition.

Though she did not have any children of her own, she watched over her family, taking great pride in her nieces and nephews, and depositing imperishable jewels in their lives along the way. She became one of our biggest supporters and always had an encouraging word to offer. Her family was important to her, whether through blood or marriage, family was family.

Aunt Thelma was the type of woman you never caught off her game. She was intentional and brought her best to everything her did. She was a well-kept woman, who believed in always looking your best. She was always stylish and put together, she had to look good even to pick up her mail.

It wasn’t her appearance or accomplishments that made her the woman of excellence she was. It was the love of the Lord that she carried in her heart. It was her love for Him that motivated her life and service of excellence.

The day she transitioned, my mother and I had the opportunity to have one last visit. My mom looked over with tears in her eyes, smiling and said, “I am happy for Aunt Thelma.” – a statement that can only be understood when you have a relationship with Jesus. We know her works were praised at the gates of heaven, when she heard her Father say, “Well done my good and faithful daughter.”

We honor you Aunt Thelma for being a woman of virtue. A woman of excellence.

Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.

– Proverbs 31:29

Honor Her

Leave a comment

“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring praises at the city gate.” -Proverbs 31:31

Whether she is your mother by birth or stood in the gap so that you could experience the love of a mother…

Whether you are blessed to still have your mother here or holding on to bitter sweet memories of her as she watches over you…

Whether she is your mother or someone else’s….

Honor her.

Each of us has been gifted with a woman to love, nurture, care, teach, encourage and celebrate us. Maybe her presence in your life was seasonal but her impact lasted a lifetime. These women have sacrificed of themselves so that we could be the best version of ourselves. They honored us. They cried for and with us. They prayed for us. They challenged us. They set a standard for us to follow. They always see the best in us, while lovingly helping us correct the worst in us.

It is because of them, we are the women, the mothers, the grandmothers, the daughters, the sisters, the aunts, and the friends we are today.

Celebrate her.

Love her.

Honor her.