What A Mother Sees
Today I am turning my focus from the Old Testament commentary. Although I have been thinking about the last part of the Book of Exodus and the building of the ancient tabernacle all week, I have been thinking more about the faithful and dedicated women who have shaped my life.
It is an understatement to say that who I have become is a result of women who believe that I could amount to something. I am not convinced that most of us naturally possess a lot of confidence in ourselves, and if we do, it is confidence not well-placed. Seldom do I live up to the standards of excellence that I would like to achieve. However, good things happen when the women who love me the most prod me forward and strengthen my confidence.
Those of you who have witnessed the birth of a child have undoubtedly seen and felt multiple life-altering things happen within a few brief moments. Pain turns to inexpressible joy as the newborn child takes its first breath. An instantaneous bond is made when the eyes of mother and child meet for the first time, and that is when a mother sees the child’s potential. I don’t believe that vision ever changes. The new parents realize how much their parents love them for perhaps the first time. The mother’s desire to do anything and everything for that newborn is forever established in her heart and mind.
A mother’s love is pure. A mother feels the pain and joy of her children. A mother sees past the mistakes of her wayward offspring, holding out hope for their safe return. A mother never stops believing. Mothers’ hearts break and heal many times throughout their lives, and I marvel at their resiliency.
I have known people who have not had mothers who fit into the perfect picture I have just painted, and I should address those who may feel differently than I do about our mothers. Some make choices that leave them cold and unfeeling, and some never recover. However, I think that even in those cases, there are brief respites from the painful consequences of wrong choices in which a mother longs to feel the unconditional love a mother should feel for her child. In the end, I believe that all the shortcomings we or others experience will be swallowed up in the love of God, and those who weren’t given certain opportunities will be given a second chance.
Regardless of the circumstances at our birth, our mothers got us here. It is up to us to live up to the visions our mothers had when they looked into our eyes for the first time and saw what we could become.