Thanking Mum...

Mother's Day had me thinking about the responsibility of being a mother. It's quite possibly the hardest job I've had to do... and why wouldn't it be: this is a vocation. This is a calling; a God-willed mission to train up children in the way they should go: to know, love and serve God. And any commitment to follow God's will surely comes under Satan's attack: he will try to thwart every effort; try to destroy family unity; try to sow seeds of doubt and whisper lies about our worth and purpose. Yet, we are still blindsided, still surprised when the attacks come... and come, they will. They come in the form of discouragement, disappointment; they come when we don't feel appreciated; when the children are disrespectful, selfish, ungrateful; they come when we are worn down, and worn out and wondering what's the point of it all.

In the 16th Chapter of the book of Acts, we find Paul and Silas worn down, attacked, stripped, beaten with rods, thrown into prison, and secured by their feet to a stake! They could have given up, decided it was too hard to follow the Way of Christ... but, they chose to pray; to sing hymns to God while the prisoners listened. They chose to reassure their jailers when the earthquake shook the building and they thought the prisoners escaped; they chose to speak the word of the Lord to the jailer and his household. By witnessing, they led him and his family to baptism and faith in God.

It is through our actions, our steadfast faith in God, that we witness to our children and others. How do we react when faced with adversity? Are we tempted to give up, to rail at God, to blame and complain... or do we pray and sing songs of praise to God; do we show concern for the well-being of others, despite our own pain and suffering?

I'm thinking about my own mother... graciously and patiently carrying out all the tasks of motherhood; caring, not just for her family, but others too. Enough love poured into her heart by her Heavenly Father, that she was able to give it away over and over to all in need. Sometimes weary, sometimes complaining, sometimes saying the wrong thing, but never giving up; stumbling sometimes, but always trusting God to be her strength in time of weakness and trial; focusing her efforts on pleasing God and doing His will, all the while encouraging her children to draw closer to God.

May we learn to pray and sing to God even when we suffer attacks; and may the love of God poured into our hearts be our best defense in every situation.

Thank you, Mum, for your steadfast example of faith in God.