I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day yesterday. One thing I was thinking about before preaching Sunday morning was to be conscience of those ladies who want children but, for whatever reasons, have been unable to have any. That’s why I tried to emphasize in my opening remarks that we all have mothers.
That being said, maybe your relationship with your mother isn’t the best. Maybe it’s non-existent. What then? Is Mother’s Day an open wound that has salt poured on it every year?
I don’t think so.
The way I see it, when a person becomes a Christian, they put to death their earthly relationships anyway. Mother and father and siblings go into the watery grave. What comes up is a Christian, dead to the world and the relationships thereof. The most your physical family—including your physical mother and father–could ever be is a brother or sister in Christ.
In the meantime, Jesus takes the role of mother. Not literally, but figuratively: He comforts, consoles, understands, sets an example. He does for us, spiritually, what many mothers do for their children, physically.
Jesus talks about the family bonds we have and how, through Him, a greater bond can exist…
Then one said unto Him, Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with Thee. But He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren? And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.
(Matthew 12:47-50)
Your relationship with your mother might not be great. It might not exist at all. But if you’re a Christian you can have a closer bond with Christ than anyone in this world can ever give you. Take comfort in that.