I realized this past weekend that I look at Mother’s Day through two different lenses. First, when I think of Mother’s Day, I immediately think of the mother with whom God blessed me. She was an amazing person who taught me so much about being a Godly woman. When I think of her, I don’t ponder on any of her negatives. I only dwell on all the positive qualities which she used to glorify God. I know she was human and had to have shortcomings like we all do, but I don’t spend any time trying to dredge up negative attributes.
The second lens that I look through permits me to see how blessed I am that God has allowed me to be the mother of three amazing children. I’m sure I could bore you for hours telling you how much they mean to me. But, I also realized this weekend that when I think of Mother’s Day through this lens, my thoughts quickly go to all the mistakes I have made as their mom. If I’m not careful, I can rapidly fall into that “what if” trap which I have written about before: what if I would have spent more time with them…what if I wouldn’t have lost my temper with them…what if I would have been more concerned about showing them my Jesus than getting my to-do list done…what if I wouldn’t have had so many health problems while they were growing up.
Let’s be honest. None of us are perfect and we have all made mistakes in our past. I think it is good for each of us to evaluate where we have been, ask for forgiveness where necessary, and work on improving those qualities of which we fall short, asking God to help us improve in those areas. Once we have done this however, we need to move on and not dwell on our shortcomings. They can paralyze us and hinder us from moving forward to do what God is calling us to do today. I can’t go back and re-do all those times where I fell short with my children, but I can make sure that I am showing them Jesus with how I am living today. Even though they are all grown and aren’t living under our roof, I know they are still watching. I think that is why my mom’s flaws don’t come to my mind because I don’t remember her dwelling on the past, rehashing her mistakes. She had learned to accept where she was, living fully for her Lord each and every day. What an amazing example to follow.
I Corinthians 15:58 from the Bible version The Message says, “With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves in the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” As I read this verse, a bright lightbulb went on in my head. This is what is important that my children see me doing today. They don’t need me wasting my breath reliving the negatives of our past; they need to see me throwing myself in the work of the Master. They need to see me willing to push myself way out of my comfort zone; tackling things that I know I can’t do without His intervention; focusing on those things which will make a difference in the light of eternity.
By the way, this way of living isn’t just for mothers. Anyone can be paralyzed by what has happened in their past and it is really easy to allow those things to become our excuse for not throwing ourselves into the work of the Master. I think in sort of a strange way, our past can become a “safe haven” where we enjoy dwelling because as long as we are there, we don’t have to move forward. Satan loves to keep us living in that cocoon which can feel good for a while, but eventually our spirit will begin to die and our life will begin to shrivel up.
I’m pretty sure when my kids reflect on their mom, they will probably remember some of the mistakes I made. But, if I can make the choice now to live completely sold out for my Savior, I’m hoping that will outshine the negatives. Allowing Him to shine through me every day, being confident that nothing I do for Him will be a waste of my time or effort, will hopefully influence many generations to come. Remember God doesn’t require perfection; only willingness to serve Him to the fullest today!
“With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends,
stand your ground.
And don’t hold back.
Throw yourselves in the work of the Master,
confident that nothing you do for him
is a waste of time or effort.”
I Corinthians 15:58
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