Learning to Love

A mother's love is much like God's.
It mostly goes unseen.
She washes your dirty laundry
And for you cooks and cleans,
Just like the way God cares for us
By washing our robes white,
By giving us our daily bread,
Correction in what's right.
A mother's gentleness, mercy,
Is a snapshot of God's.
She comforts failures to succeed,
And when we win, applauds.
Mothers bear with ignorance
And die daily to self
For our daily needs, even wants,
And for our long-term wealth.
Mother, you listened when I cried
And when I shared my dreams.
You gave up your own selfishness
When your thoughts were unseen.
Now that I'm grown up and gone,
Building on what you laid
As a foundation for my dreams,
Gaining from what you paid,
The greatest thing you gave to me
Is the model of love
That never can, will, pass away
Because it's from above.
Though dishes get dirty again
And bedrooms turn empty,
My heart is full of what you taught
And what you gave to me.
I know I can never repay
All that you sacrificed,
But let me return my thank-you
That neither can be priced
By passing on what you gave me
And giving back to you
In whatever little way I can.
Take this as one thank-you.
I know I'll always be your child.
Can I be your friend too,
Providing some encouragement 
Or just listening to you,
Like all those years you gave to me
When you knew I had need?
Mom, I just want to love you
And to give as I received,
Because all I can give to you
Is what you gave to me
From all your unseen sacrifice.
Its product I can see.
Though I can give back this or that
Or at least attempt to,
I best express my gratitude
By saying, "I love you."
So, Mom, I love you too.

Day 40

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her (Proverbs 31:28).

Jesus told His disciples in some of His last words before His death that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He also said,

For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him (John 13:15-16).

We as disciples should not seek to exceed our Teacher but to learn everything exactly as He taught it to us so that we can replicate it. Jesus was a special rabbi in that He had female as well as male disciples (beyond the 12, or course).

I wrote this poem long before I was a mother myself, but I have been able to look back and understand in hindsight what my parents did for me. And isn’t that the same with our heavenly Father? Right now, perhaps we can think about a time in our lives when we didn’t understand what was happening, but now we understand God was taking care of us all along. I’m grateful for all my mother and father did for me, and I want to do the same for my children. For mothers, much of this is done by serving our children. Romans 12:7 tells us that service is a gift of the Holy Spirit. There’s no place where we can’t serve others, but motherhood is a unique example of God’s love through service. And that is a good place to be.

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