Mother’s Day can be hard amidst the flowers and cards. A day that’s supposed to be filled with happiness and joy may be full of grief, sadness, and loss. I’m going to call this unique hurt Mom Pain.
Mom pain isn’t widely discussed. Facebook or Instagram statuses rarely say, “Motherhood isn’t what I bargained for. I don’t think I can make it.”
Mom pain, though, is universal. Below are just a few pain points:
- Mom-dreams that don’t materialize.
- Children who are against you.
- Unanswered prayers.
- The death of a child.
- Adult children’s lives.
- Missing your own mom.
- Sadness over moms who aren’t around.
- Mom grief, in general, and other losses.
Thankfully, the Bible is full of moms whose journeys were hard. Here are just a few:
- Eve’s sons hated each other. One killed the other.
- For years, Sarah was barren before she had a child. During that time, her husband had a son by another woman.
- Hannah sent her young son to live in an immoral, religious environment.
- Jochabed put her child in a river filled with crocodiles so he would not be killed.
- Mary was an unwed mother who experienced loneliness and misunderstanding.
These moms surely said, “This isn’t how life is supposed to be!” There were no easy answers for these women. But there is hope. If Hallmark doesn’t fit the bill for you this Mother’s Day, here are three principles from biblical moms who were hard-pressed to find joy.
- A relationship with God gets you through the pain. Each woman above withstood their circumstances because they knew God’s character when their circumstance seemed hopeless. God is never absent from our situation or that of our children. He sees beyond the trial and knows the ending. When there’s no hope in sight, we must look to the author of the Story.
- Despite your emotions, cling to the Lord Jesus Christ. Your emotions lie to you. They tell you that being a mom should be all good, and that when tough times come, you’re a bad mom and life is hopeless. These are false truths. When you hear these lies, run to God. Your emotions may betray you, but God never will.
- Motherhood does not define happiness–your relationship with God does. Motherhood was not an easy for these women. These hardships are ones I can’t imagine. But their joy and hope was not from their experience. It was rooted in their relationship with the Living God. Here is the story of my mom pain, and how Jesus met me.
Whatever you are facing, God is with you. He sees you and loves you. He knows the pain of a parent seeing his child suffer. He knows the grief and disappointment his children bring him. As a parent, God experiences the same pain you do!
Be encouraged! Do you need to give your mom-pain to God today? Will you trust Him with the circumstances and the outcome? I’d love to hear from you to know your story or your pain. Fee free to email me at Brenda@brendayoder.com.
And if you’re a mom in midlife or approaching midlife, join us on the Midlife Moms Podcast and Facebook Community! We’d love to hear from you!
Great message!