The True Beauty of Motherhood

 

By: Donna Bucher

As I considered this week's post releasing just before Mother's Day, I asked the Lord for an encouraging devotional for all the amazing women who visit Woman to Woman Ministries. He reminded me "mothering" is not necessarily "biological" nor is it exclusive to having children in YOUR home.

As women, He designed us to nurture, tend, treasure, and protect others. Which means mothers come in all shapes, sizes, variations, and relationships.

Even if you have no biological, adoptive, or foster children in your home, God created you to cherish, encourage, and influence others in your life as only a woman can!

 

"Mother's Day is about recognizing the act of mothering everywhere we see it; when we listen, nurture, nourish, protect; we're doing sacred work"

Shauna Niequist

Motherhood Reflects God's Glory

Ladies, God created us to reflect His glory in our ability to bring forth new life. Of course, bearing biological children illustrates this, but we can also bring forth new life in other ways.

 

By sharing God's love with others and caring through nurturing others with God's love.

 

Consider the life-giving breath of speaking truth to someone who is deceived, or a kind word of encouragement to someone in despair, or comfort to someone suffering or grieving. Is there someone in your life who has breathed life into you in this way?

 

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Proverbs 31:26

Motherhood Reflects God's Nurturing Care

Just as a mother tenderly cares for a child; cradling, nursing, feeding, and teaching, God nurtures His children; providing every need, protecting them and tenderly training them up. (Hosea 11:4)

 

Jesus illustrated this tender care when He wept over Jerusalem, longing to gather up His people as a hen gathers her chicks under its wings. (Matthew 23:37)

 

As women, we are positioned to offer the same nurturing care not only to our own family, but the family of God, feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, and tenderly mentoring younger women. I remember a dear older lady in my church who nurtured me in the Lord and even came all the way to our home in Albania bringing encouragement!

"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy."

Proverbs 31:20

Motherhood Reflects God's Goodness

While motherhood's love is often illustrated in the birth of a child, we see that same love poured forth from the heart of a woman who may never bear children, as she offers a meal to a family in need, shows hospitality, comforts a hurting friend, or serves in God's house.

 

Her faithful caring of others mirrors God's goodness to us in all seasons, especially in suffering. (Nahum1:7, Psalm 103:2-5)

 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 15:58

As we consider celebrating Mother’s Day and honoring motherhood, let's celebrate God's transcendent gift of mothering in all its forms.

Honor moms of children whose sacrificial love nurtures them at any age:

• Caring women who love our children in church nurseries, day care, or other childcare settings.
• Spiritual moms who invest their love mentoring others.
• Caring women visiting hospitals, and nursing homes.
• Women whose love shines forth in the patient instruction of our children in classrooms, and Sunday School rooms.
• Women whose love offers a listening ear and non-judgmental heart to unruly teens.

I can truly say I have had many mothers; caring, nurturing women who invested in my life and the lives of my children. Women who have lifted my head when overwhelmed with grief, cried with me, laughed with me, and served with me.

At times our relationship with our biological mother is strained or non-existent; God brings other "mothers" to us. Other times as mothers we grieve wayward children and past failures; God redeems those sufferings with other children to nurture. If our arms ache to hold a child we don't have, God fills our arms with little ones in need of our loving arms around them.

 

My Friend, I celebrate YOU this Mother's Day, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made a woman in God's perfect design, to do a work only you can do. May your children both physical and spiritual rise and called you blessed.

Find more encouragement and FREE Resources at Serenity in Suffering!

 

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