Tag Archives: Mother

PRAYER & ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE MOTHERLESS

There is a place inside everybody’s heart that needs the love of a mother. As humans, we are wired with a deep need for a mother’s love and encouragement. Yet, due to death, divorce, deployment, and many other reasons, not everyone has a good mother present in their lives. When that need for a mother goes unmet, it can cause deep pain in the soul. My heart is filled with great compassion for the ones without a loving mother.

Although it may not feel natural to view God in a motherly way, He is a comforter to the motherless. Isaiah 66:13 (NKJV) says: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Along with bringing comfort, God heals our hearts when our biological mothers are absent or have passed away.

I was a fifteen-year-old girl when my mom moved away from me to live in another state. My parents had divorced when I was thirteen, so I had already experienced the pain of having my father move out of our home. After my mom decided to get remarried to another man, I had to choose whether I wanted to move away with my mom or move in with my father. Not having any idea of the ache I would feel in my heart, I chose to move in with my father after my mom moved hours away. During the weeks and months after being separated from my mom, I experienced an indescribable pain.

Even though those days were filled with excruciating pain, I would relive it all over again a thousand times because of the amazing blessing I received during that time of my life. Those painful days were when I began falling deeper in love with Christ. As I cried out to the Lord, He swept me into His incredible arms of love. Those days as a fifteen-year-old girl are when God planted a seed inside me that would later help me grow into a passionate-on-fire-for-Jesus-follower. It was during that motherless season that I learned to fall on my knees in God’s presence and worship Christ with all my heart.

Having my mom absent at times in my life has actually been a wonderful gift to me because it made me realize that Christ loves me like nobody else can.

If you are experiencing the ache of not having a mother or if you have an unloving mom, I want to encourage you and pray for you.

Psalm 27:10 (NKJV) says: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.

Your mother may have forsaken you, but God will never forsake you. He is Your ever-present COMFORTER.

It’s truly beautiful to experience the motherly love of God. As we draw near to God, He nurtures us, empowers us to forgive, and helps us to love those who have forsaken us.

My prayer is that every hurting person will experience the priceless gift of God’s perfect love and rest in knowing that He is with you always.

LORD,

Thank You for loving us with a perfect love. Thank You for comforting us in the same way a mother comforts. I ask You to comfort the ones who have never had a loving mother and fill the void in the hearts of sons and daughters who have lost their mother due to death, divorce, abandonment, or other circumstances.

Help the ones who are hurting today to rest in Your presence and know that You will never leave them, nor forsake them. Help them look to You always as their comforter and nurturer.

Bring forth spiritual mothers to help nurture the hearts of neglected children. Heal the hearts of the ones who have been wounded or abandoned by their mothers and give them joy instead of mourning. Help a generation of orphaned children to become mighty carriers of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

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The photo at the top was captured on MOTHER’S DAY in 2016 while I was visiting Hawaii.

SAVORING THE GIFT OF MOTHERHOOD

Amy's Pictures 1435

As I was on my way home, the words of my father-in-law echoed in my mind: “Enjoy the years of raising your children because in the blink of an eye, they’ll be grown.” I thought intently about the words my father-in-law had spoken decades before, as I drove away from the college campus where my youngest child will be taking part in the Duel Enrollment program for high school seniors. Thoughts of my little boy running around with his action figures were colliding with thoughts of the young man who signed up for college Algebra and English 1101. How can he possibly be starting college? It seems like yesterday that Thomas was a wee little guy testing my patience as I chased him around the library while he was screaming, “Nooooo, I don’t want to leave!” I will always remember the tantrum in the library, but what stands out most in my mind are the sounds of laughter and squealing of excitement over the joys of life through a child’s eyes.

The older my children get, the more the words in Psalm 127:3 resonate in my heart: Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing. My youngest will be seventeen soon and my oldest is twenty-four. They are truly the most treasured gifts God has given me along with the gift of marriage. One of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made in life was quitting my merchandising/sales job with Procter and Gamble which enabled me to focus on being a mommy while I worked as a nanny and several other part-time jobs along the way.  Trying to be a good career woman and a good mother at the same time was just not for me. I couldn’t do both well.

Motherhood is the job that is shaping the future of our world like no other job. Mothering is by far one of the hardest jobs. There are no accolades during the formative years of our children’s lives. The rewards come later when we see our adult children making a difference in their communities. With the day-to-day stresses of being an active-duty mom, the difficulties of parenting can begin to override the immense joys that come from motherhood. I refuse to let that happen in my life.

I am savoring all that comes with being a mother. I am savoring the never-a-dull-moment-teen-years along with the piles of sweaty work-out clothes from daily football training and practices. I am savoring the orthodontist appointments and school meetings to attend. I am savoring the hours of volunteer duties that come with being a football mom. I am savoring every single moment of motherhood because I know that the duty of raising little ones into loving, generous people is truly an honor that is to be cherished now amidst these significant fleeting moments.

 “Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.” — James 1:17 (God’s Word Translation)

The photo of my son and daughter was taken in January in Tampa, Florida.