Happy Mother's Day?

Yes, I meant to ask that as a question instead of sharing it as a statement. I asked a question because I want to know the answer. Is it a happy mother's day for you?

Any holiday tends to bring about the pendulum of reactions. On one full high swing, there are people celebrating and crying and genuinely having the best day ever. Swinging back the other way, we find another group of people that pay no mind to this day. And somewhere at the bottom, or the middle if you want, there is yet another group of people that this day crushes.

There are many reasons why this day is painful. Have you lost your mom? Have you lost your child? Do you yearn with everything in you to be a mother? What about broken relationships or painful pasts? They don't make Mother's Day cards for these things.

What do we do when an entire day has been set aside for the purpose of celebrating and honoring something so good, our mothers, actually devastates us?

I could give you several Christian phrases with the intent of helping. Well-meaning things we say in the moment trying to comfort our friends. But, if we are honest, some things cut too deep for words to heal. The emotions this day brings up are more than just small cuts that need a little band-aid. It's more like a gaping wound that requires a hospital, surgery, and lots and lots of healing.

So what do we do?

How do we heal?

My thoughts on the answer are very simple. We weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

Sometimes, on days like today, the answer isn't 5 steps to feel better. Sometimes, it looks more like sitting together and sharing your feelings. Earnestly praying for one another and crying together, because, sometimes, life is painful.

You don't have to put on a happy face today. You can feel however it is that you feel. God Himself is acquainted with our grief (Isaiah 53:3) so talk to Him. Ask Him why. If you've got those questions in your heart He already knows and He can handle anything you throw at Him.

The bottom line is this- Don't be afraid to let someone in on what you are feeling. Do you have a friend you trust and can share these feelings with? I encourage you to do that today. Ask them to pray for you and trust them to do it.

If you find yourself being that friend to someone today, take your job seriously. If they are trusting you to share all the things with, you don't have to have all the right answers or any answers really, but meet them where they are with love.

It is my prayer in writing this that you are encouraged to share or sit and listen today, and that you are reminded of the reality of this day, but also the faithfulness of our God that He will never leave us or forsake us.

-Jess