When all of my children were tinies, I was at a new friend’s house, where there was a hole in a wall by the bathroom.
“I did that when we were potty training,” she told me.
I adored her from that moment on. She was, she is, an amazing mom. And when momhood got rough, she punched a hole in the wall.
I’ve punched a few holes myself. Motherhood is hard work, can be frustrating and overwhelming. In the middle of all the drama and the chaos and the willful struggles a mama becomes so much more.
You become a warrior.
You fight for what is best for your children. You arm yourself with boundaries and wisdom, and you pray for grace and mercy to pave the way from God’s heart straight to your children’s.
You wake up and do the same. thing. every. day. to make sure that those who cannot care for themselves feel safe and full of food and warmth and love.
You forget the quest for perfection and accept that the mess is part of the glory, and this whole love thing is what He says is good, so you step over the Legos and the sippy cups one. more. time.
You turn away from perfect abs and perky chests, and you let your body swell with life and love again and again because life is good, and love is what makes you truly beautiful.
You step back when the limelight comes your way, because you know that to be truly celebrated is to love and be loved by the least of these.
You lovingly cook food that they hate, say no to their unwise requests, and you take the blame for making today “the worst day ever” so that when the worst days really come, that child will remember who is safe and strong and faithful and come running to you.
You cover their pain and pay the price when they lose their books, lose their tempers, lose love for the first time, because mercy triumphs over justice when the cost is too high for your child to pay.
And when your own temper flares, when you lose your patience and punch a wall, and when you misunderstand or overthink this soul journey you are on, you cry because you missed your heart’s mark.
Then comes the reward. Those children of yours, full of your gifts of love, mercy, and forgiveness, they pour it all back into you. You would never know love if you never failed, and these are the lessons you can’t learn from a book or a blog or a friend.
That’s when you learn why God calls this love-thing good.
On Mother’s Day, the cards and gifts and thanks and praise will taste sweet to our weary souls. But all along, we know that the best gift grows within us, greater and greater as the years tick away.
Because a mama knows love, given and gifted, received and treasured, beautiful and messy, full of goodness and glory.
Happy Mother’s Day, warrior friends. I pray God’s reward fills you to overflowing tomorrow. May His joy over you be your strength.
Fight on.
