Mother's Day & The women with no names.

For the greatest love of all
is a love that sacrifices all.
And this great love is demonstrated
when a person sacrifices his life
for his family. John 15:13 (TPT)

I realise Mother’s Day has a mix of emotion wrapped up with cliches of the Hallmark cards and breakfasts in bed. I want to acknowledge, my current season is not everyone’s and that there are a lot of emotions swirling around this day on the calendar. If that is you, my heart is for you today. xo

I am a big believer that Motherhood is not the epitome of being a woman, but that walking everyday following the example of Jesus is.

Having said that, I do particularly want to speak to you, mother, who is in the trenches. I know first hand that motherhood is relentless. Same routines. Same needs being met. Same reprimands. Same conversations. Same arguments. Same rhythms kept, day after day after day.  Relentless is the only word I know! And from what I see from those on the path ahead of me, it continues for quite some time!

But one thing I know to be true is Jesus' love is also relentless.

Over and over he shows up. Every story in the Bible shows his love for me. Every gift in my day that I forget to see, is still his kindness and love for me. And it’s not conditional. He is relentless in his love for me, whether I am feeling like the most fun and awesome mum, or when I am yelling at my kids for the 300millionth time to ‘put your things away’.  

I don’t know what road you are on but I wanted to encourage you today that Jesus sees it all. He understands the cost of it all. You are Seen, Known & Loved, right where you are. 

We don’t have to look too far in the gospels to see examples of women who were desperate to be seen, known and loved too. We see the way Jesus interacts with women (of course to everyone really, but for all intents and purposes we are talking women today!) Women who sometimes don’t even get their names mentioned. Women like Moses’ mum. The woman at the well. The woman with bleeding. Names are not mentioned, but they are seen. And not just seen, but known in detail. 

Think of the woman at the well.
Lonely. Feeling like she’s completely messed up her life. Yet has an encounter with Jesus where he proves he knows every mistake, every moment of despair and still offers her a life-line and a hope-filled future.

Think of the women of ‘bleeding’.
A woman who, out of desperation and poverty of mind & wallet, approaches Jesus in a culturally inappropriate way. Jesus stops. He sees this woman through all the other faces. He is filled with compassion and uses this moment of healing her to show his power and love to a whole crowd. 

Think of Moses’ mum.
We never know her name. She is faced with the heartbreak of giving up her son for a government to murder, she created a bold solution, saw it through and raised her own son in a palace. A son that went on to save a nation!

Women with no name, who became part of Jesus’ big story. 

You may feel like you are one of those women with no name. Unknown. Unseen. Unloved. There is great sacrifice in being a mum. No doubt about it. The days are 90% thankless. (That’s why we need mother’s day people!!) When life feels relentless, it’s so very easy to give resentment a seat at the table.

But just like these women, you, your children, your past and your present are part of Jesus’ big story. You are seen by him. He understands. He knows the cost of it all. 

He laid down his own life for our salvation. He understands sacrifice. He is your validating father, and is the one who whispers to your exhausted soul; “Thank you for laying down your life for your children”,  “I see it all”, “My love for you is relentless”.

Lord, I pray for each woman reading these words today. You know and created each human in their home. You know each woman, their personality and style, strengths and weaknesses. Would you whisper to their soul today that you see them right where they are are. Even when they feel like they are in the trenches and they don’t see the sunlight. Give them, give me, a new perspective, God. A perspective that has us postured to you for all our needs. 

Thank you for the example you gave of what it means to lay down things you love for the greater good. Thank you for showing us how to sacrifice graciously. Thank you for our children. Give us creative solutions to the problems that irk us the most. And most of all, help us pass on your relentless love to them. 

Amen.

Jordan xo