5 Things to Remember This Mother’s Day

Sweet mommas, as you are surrounded with all of the commercialism of Mother’s Day, I pray that you will not allow satan to use this holiday to rob you of the hope you have in our Great God!  As you consider the invitation that Christ has laid out before you, I pray that these words from fellow Hope Moms will encourage your heart:

5 Things to Remember This Mother’s Day

1. YOU ARE A MOTHER

“Mother’s Day is such a confusing day for Hope Mommies. It is supposed to be a day of celebration, but it can bring on such strong emotions of emptiness and longing. While everyone around us is receiving flowers, getting hand drawn cards, or having arms wrap around their necks with love, we are left hungering to share those moments with our littles who are in Glory. You are a mother after all; Our Heavenly Father deemed you a mother the moment your beloved child was conceived.

“Jesus wept.”
-John 11:35

It is okay to grieve. God grieves with us.  In the book of James, we are instructed to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” That “joy” that we are told to display, isn’t a jump up and down with streamers type of joy. It’s a calm trust and peaceful understanding that He is good. So, is it possible to experience grief and the joy that that Bible speaks of at the same time? Absolutely. My prayer for your Mother’s Day is that you will allow God to meet you where you are at. God will provide you with what you need on this day.”
-Calli W, Hope Momma to Blair Reece

2.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE

“Empty arms can make you feel so alone. But sweet momma, you are not. So many other mommas share your hurt. We stand with you. We know. We understand. You are being prayed for even now.  More importantly, God has not left you. He is there, holding you in your brokenness.  God promises us His presence in our darkest circumstances.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
-Psalm 34:18

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”
-Isaiah 43:10

“Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me.”
-Psalm 23:4

These Scriptures are threaded throughout Kari Jobe’s song, “I am not Alone.” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I2oel0_Xa54 May the words of this song soak into your heart. We are not forgotten. God sees us. God is with us.   Rest in this truth today: You are not alone.”
-Stephanie B, Hope Mom to Kinley

3. YOU HAVE HOPE

Hope.

The beauty of this profound four letter word is that it is anchored to what has already been accomplished.  Hope began when our perfect Savior laid down His life on a shameful cross.

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Romans 5:1-2

This. Is. Hope.

Hope is the blood of Christ poured out for you.
Hope is being able to stand before a holy God because you have been clothed in righteousness.
Hope is confidently and joyfully looking forward to sharing in God’s glory.
Hope is the finished work of the Savior King.

As devastating as it feels to be separated from your dearly loved child on this earth, find hope in the truth that your baby was given victory over death and received life everlasting with fullness of joy in the presence of our Great God!  And because He lives, our beloved children have been removed from the brokenness of this world and have received everything that is lovely, joyful, and perfect.  They are enjoying the pleasure and goodness of God’s eternal presence, and through faith in Christ we will see them again!
-Ashlee S, Hope Mom to Simeon and Odelle

4. IT’S OKAY TO GRIEVE

“If I’ve learned anything about grief in the nine years since my son died, it’s this: Be real about what you feel. It’s okay to grieve. And you should. God is BIG ENOUGH and STRONG ENOUGH to bear the brunt of your burdens. Don’t try to hide how you are feeling from God. Remember how it worked out for Adam and Eve when they played hide-and-seek with God in the Garden of Eden? God came looking for them. He pursued them and He will relentlessly pursue you just the same. There is nowhere you can hide from the love of God, not even if you try. His love will find you even in the deepest, darkest depths of despair. Rest assured that even when you think you’ve outrun Him, He is STILL holding on to you. He will NEVER let go. For I am persuaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Not even the grief of losing a child.”
-Andrea F, Hope Mom to Cohen

5.  GOD IS FAITHFUL

“This Mother’s Day marks exactly two years since our sweet Oliver Joe went to be with Jesus. We had tried for so long to get pregnant and then finally it happened for us and I carried our precious baby boy for 12 weeks. We don’t know why he left us so soon. We may never know until we meet Jesus face to face. But one thing I do know is that with God, nothing is wasted.

Through Oliver’s death, a whole new world opened up to us. Filled with other people who had suffered infertility, miscarriage and infant loss as well. We were certainly not alone in our pain. Over the past two years God has been so faithful. Faithful in binding up our wounds and turning our mourning into dancing. Faithful in bringing people into our lives to comfort and support us.

And no matter where you are in your journey, God promises to never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) On this Mother’s Day, never forget how much God loves you and is faithful to see you through. We are mamas with arms aching to hold our babies. But we are mamas who know our babies are in the arms of their creator and that is worth celebrating.”
-Erica B, Hope Mom to Oliver and Emery

…

Dear One, turn to the God of all hope!  Be filled, renewed, built-up, and restored in Him!  Then, when your heart has been fully satisfied through the abundant comfort that He so freely gives, you will be even better equipped to comfort others with the comfort you’ve been given. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

What if you decided that because you know pain so closely, you would be an ambassador of God’s comfort this Mother’s Day.   Your suffering has given you a new perspective: you are able to see the world as God sees it, with brokenness and pain and forgotten people, who desperately need someone who will reach out to them. We, who know the weight of sorrow, have been given unique opportunity to reach out to others to make sure they are not forgotten. Will you allow God to use you to come alongside someone who is hurting? Will you visit the woman in the nursing home who’s children live far away?  Will you send a card to the friend who’s mother has died?  Will you bring flowers to the one who lost her own precious baby?

This Mother’s Day, will you choose to be the hands and feet of Christ?”