When a woman is about to give birth, she is in great pain. But after it is all over, she forgets the pain and is happy, because she has brought a child into the world. [John 16:21 (CEV)]
My Mother’s Day prayers will include thanks for the mother and mother-in-law God put in my life, the blessings of motherhood and family, the privilege of seeing my children become adults, and the immeasurable joy of being a grandmother! Because those grands wouldn’t be here were it not for the three beautiful daughters (one by birth and two through marriage) with which He blessed me, I’ll thank God for them, as well.
Years ago, when my girls were mothers of littles, I overheard them recalling the time BC (before children) when they’d been carefree princesses and enjoyed things like spa days, dining out, shopping sprees, weekend jaunts, undisturbed sleep, and free time. Motherhood, however, changed them from princesses to queens and queendom, with its soiled diapers, sleepless nights, spills, tantrums, and never-ending laundry, was hard work. The girls couldn’t remember when last they’d donned their princess tiaras or skinny jeans and realized their last manicure was done by a four-year old. Designer purses had been traded for diaper bags and five minutes alone in the bathroom was more precious than a massage. Date nights had given way to play dates, a child’s scribbles were more valuable than fine art, and the name of a reliable baby sitter was better protected than a pin number. Queendom required an entirely new skill set and they now could fix ouchies with a Disney Band-Aid and a kiss, had developed a third eye on the back of their heads, and could sing “The Wheels on the Bus” endlessly without going crazy. The young women weren’t complaining; they knew how blessed they were by God’s gift of children. Nevertheless, the enormity of their responsibilities weighed heavy on their shoulders.
When motherhood turned my daughters from princesses into queens, their hearts expanded and they put aside their desires for the needs of their children. They learned about patience, compassion, and love. They carried the burden of living by example (which involved far more than eating their veggies and always saying “please” and “thank you”). They knew that little eyes were watching as they offered courtesy for rudeness, forgiveness for wrongs, and love to even the most unlovable. Queendom required them to be calm when they were anxious, strong when they felt weak, and brave when their knees were shaking. Princesses can cry and get flustered but queens wipe tears and offer reassurance. Like any good monarch, my girls learned about sacrifice and what it means to live for others. They learned that being a queen has nothing to do with crowns, thrones, robes, power, or wealth; it’s all about love.
In the years since that conversation, my girls have come up with last-minute science projects and become proficient in constructing anything from the White House to the Great Sphinx with popsicle sticks and Elmer’s glue. They’ve weathered adolescent rebellion, emergency room visits, prom drama, teen angst, home-schooling, and the college application process. Along the line, they developed an uncanny ability to detect a child’s malarky, wiped more tears than can be counted, and logged more hours behind the wheel than a cross-country trucker. As some of the grands start flying off, my girls are discovering that a mama’s love and responsibility doesn’t end when her babies leave the nest! Motherhood is a tough job and one that never really ends. They also know that motherhood is a beautiful gift from God.
I recalled my girls’ conversation this morning because, while walking in the park, I encountered several young mothers and mothers-to-be—a new set of young women who are trading in their princess tiaras for a queen’s crown made of construction paper, tape, stickers, glitter, and glue. Let’s not forget to pray for the next generation of queens. Don’t limit your prayers to the mothers you know and love; pray for them all—including the frazzled mom whose child is having a melt down at Target, the one with the noisy kids at church, and even the one with the crying baby sitting behind you on the plane.
In today’s increasingly divisive, violent, self-absorbed, and self-indulgent world—a world that’s beginning to resemble the godless future of Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and Nineteen Eighty-Four—today’s mothers desperately need our prayers (as well as our patience, grace, and kindness). When the Apostle Paul said to pray for everyone, he specifically mentioned praying for kings. Let’s remember to pray for the queens, as well!
There is more power in a mother’s hand than in a king’s scepter. [Billy Sunday]
As a way of emphasizing the penitential nature of Lent, hymns with alleluia or hallelujah were not sung at our church during Lent’s forty days. With the exception of Palm Sunday’s All Glory, Laud, and Honor, the hymns for the last six weeks were rather slow, somber, and introspective and I missed the more joyful upbeat hymns I enjoy. Easter service, however, opened with Christ the Lord is Risen Today and the twenty “Alleluias” we sang in five verses made up for their long absence.
Judas wasn’t the only one who betrayed Jesus that Thursday night. With his three denials, Peter also betrayed our Lord. Both men were filled with remorse but neither man could undo what had been done. One never lost faith and hung in there; the other lost faith and hung himself. One stayed around for the resurrection to see the living Christ and to experience Jesus’ forgiveness; the other missed his opportunity for redemption when he gave up all hope. One became the humble willing servant of the Lord and the rock of the church; the other one’s name lives on in ignominy and is synonymous with betrayal and treason.
There is a fancy term for how God the Son, Jesus, took on human form and yet remained God: hypostatic union. Sounding like why my socks cling to my t-shirts in the dryer, knowing the term doesn’t help us understand it. I’m not sure anyone can wholly comprehend how Jesus always existed and yet was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, and became man. When pondering Christ’s incarnation, I can’t help but think of an old ad for Certs Mints. Since they were both a breath mint and a candy mint, their commercials ended with the catch phrase: “Certs is two, two, two mints in one!” Fully man and fully God at the same time, Jesus, like Certs, had two distinct natures in one.
As one of three pilgrimage feasts requiring every Jewish man’s attendance in Jerusalem, Jesus and the disciples joined other pilgrims on their journey toward the city for the Passover celebration. By the time they passed through Jericho (where He healed the blind Bartimaeus and ate dinner with Zacchaeus), a large crowd was following Jesus. It was on a Sunday that He and His disciples left Bethany for the two-mile walk into Jerusalem. The roads would have been crowded as pilgrims streamed into the city in preparation for the festival. Having heard of Jesus’ miracles and the way He brought Lazarus out of the grave, many of those in the streets were anxious to see Him. ”Could this be the long-awaited Messiah?” they wondered.
Devotions of the Heart 