Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers. We do not get to choose who our mother is, but God chooses for us. I, for one, was blessed with an amazing mother. I am sure we all feel that way about our mom, as we should, because we only have one true mom. Yes, some become step-moms, adopted moms, surrogate moms, and those who act as a mom to those she loves despite not being a mom. I am sure some of you know what I am talking about.

Eve was the first mother who experienced many firsts in an unknown world. She already blew it by disobeying God, and now she was going to be trusted to have a son. There was no instruction book, no one to talk to about it, and of course, no other person had been through what she was going through.  Who knows how many hours she had to bear the pain of labor for her first child. There was no medication for the pain. Labor was a curse on women for her disobedience (Gen 3:16). Although little is said in scripture about her pregnancy and birth, my guess is that she and the Lord spoke often as she endured what she endured.

As I said, there were many firsts for her, and one was the death of a child. Scripture does not tell us if her first two sons were twins or years apart. What is revealed is that years later, when the boys were older, jealousy prompted anger, which prompted one child to kill the other. If losing a child was not enough, she had to bear the knowledge that one son killed the other.

The news of her first son being the one to take the life of her second son had to be enough to break her. Then, the first son was sent away from the family. Later, she had a third son who began the line of Christ.

This is just one of many heroic stories of mothers we read about in scripture. Eve was the mother of all the living (Gen 3:20). Although scripture does not convey much about her, it is the little that says a lot. She failed the Lord and suffered the punishment for her disobedience. She had to overcome loss and then had another son to set the life line back on track. She was resilient as the first woman on earth.

Mothers are tough and resilient. They were made in such a special way that they can multitask because of their purpose as the caretaker of the family. Eve was created to be the helper suitable for her man (Gen 2:18), and so are all the women who followed her. Mothers, though, are more than just women. They are truly heroic women who will sacrifice their own lives for their child. They will protect, nurture, teach, guide, and more. This is what love is, and a mother loves her child unconditionally. 

Your mother may have passed on from this life, and I pray that your grief will be lifted as you remember her today and every day. Remember the joys, the conflict, the love. Remember the sacrifices, the lessons, the life of a woman who chose to be a mother to you. 

As you celebrate Mother’s Day, I ask that you remember Eve, and all the other mothers who came after her: Hagar, Sarah, Rebekkah, Rachel, Leah, Hanna, and, of course, Mary, the mother of Jesus, to name a few. If you are a mother, bless you, for you are an amazing woman for all women to aspire to. You are the definition of a hero.  

Last week, the little lambs learned about yet another fruit of the Spirit – patience. I believe patience is one of the hardest things for any child to possess. God does not grant you patience as if it were a gift; He teaches you patience so this fruit will grow within your spirit. This week, we will take a break from the Fruit of the Spirit and honor mothers by reading about mothers in the scriptures.

I look forward to worshiping with you all with songs of joy and dancing before the Creator of life. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you tomorrow, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and abundant love, and may He guide you, comfort you, heal you, and strengthen you when you need it.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)