I am even more amazed at the background stories that have
landed so many women in the role of mothering without a mother; from abandonment
and death to distance and dementia. And
here we are, doing the very best we can to raise our children, both young and
old, but still desiring a mother’s influence in our lives.
Here’s what I love about the Bible…if you dig in it enough,
there’s always a gentle whisper addressing all the pains in our hearts. Strangely enough, I find myself loving Isaiah
49:15-16. I turn to it often in those
times of confusions and hurt and I find great comfort in these words.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.” (NKJV)
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.” (NKJV)
Wait, what was that? It’s entirely possible that a woman may have
no compassion, even abandon, her own children?
The Bible knew that this was
something that happened. There’s nothing
new under the sun. Forgetting my child
and having no compassion for him is hard for me to comprehend, but it’s not
hard for God to understand. For whatever
reason, be it abandonment, death, distance, or illness, it is a known reality
that we could be forever forgotten by our very own mothers.
But the greatest part about this
verse is the end: He will not forget us.
You know who He is? He
is the one who formed us in our mother’s womb.
He is the one who set our
hearts in motion. He is the one who is intimately acquainted with every turn, corner,
and hidden place of our hearts. And good
or bad, He is the one who loves us. Even if we are forgotten or left by the woman
who is charged with our care, we are not left without a caregiver.
He didn’t just stop there.
He not only said He would never forget us, but He is so stinkin’ crazy
about us, that He went ahead and carved our names in the palms of His hands! I don’t know about you, but that makes my
heart sing! It makes me proud to say “I
am my beloveds and He is mine!” Forever
and for always, He has me on his mind and I cannot be forgotten. Song of Solomon 8:7 says (NKJV):
“Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.”
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.”
I have so much to say on the topic
of motherless mothering. Maybe I should be
working up a manuscript : ) Reading
comments and messages left me wanting to gather you all together, hug, and
cry. There are so many wounds, so many
stories, but so much victory! So many of
you have lived amazing lives and have yourself walked into a mothering role
without a role model. And you have done
so awesomely! For all of you, I thank
you for hearing my heart, sharing yours, and continuing this journey with me.
We cannot train up our children in
the ways they should go and treasure each moment of this journey without
knowing deep in our hearts that we have One who loves us more than anyone here
on this earth ever could!
I leave you with these great quotes
encouraging us to set our minds on things eternal:
"What joy that the Bible tells
us the great comfort that the best is yet to be. Our outlook goes beyond this
world." - Corrie ten Boom-
"You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Fathers House. It's the home of your dreams!"
-Anne Graham Lotz-
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