You Will Be Happy: A Message for Mothers

 Today is Mother’s Day. 

I wasn’t really expecting my peeps to do anything special for Mother's Day because we’re not in the habit of celebrating minor holidays when outside the US, and we have had just a little bit on our plates lately (READ: T-minus 2 weeks before this house has to be packed up for 18months…) But, Jesus knows that, and He knew that I need to be reminded again that He saw me... that He took notice of this bedraggled, frazzled, ADD, stretched-to- the-limit Mama living out in the foothills of the Rwenzori’s, stepping on roaches while trying to avoid snakes… and that He saw Beauty. He saw my tired eyes, my even more tired legs, my disheveled house, my short temper, my mood swings, and my brain fog...

...yet He reached through the hand of a 4-yr old child with this message:

YOU WILL BE HAPPY.

And that, folks, is just what I needed to hear today- 
the message that Jesus has for mothers. 

When she tumbled into the covers with goldilocks right behind her, handing me the homemade note, I couldn’t help but chuckle out loud. “That’s what she wanted it to say…” Daddy remarked matter of factly. “Is it a statement or a command?” I jokingly responded, thinking about if she was trying to mimick my frequent Mommy phrase: “You will have a good attitude”. And then in the midst of the snuggles and giggles and show-and-tell of the cards, I heard the Spirit whisper, 

“It’s a promise.”

You see, if you are a mother reading this, you know that one side of the coin that we call “Motherhood” is Joy & the other side is Heartache. Yes, it’s laughter and chubby cheeks and fairy gardens and berry-picking, but it is also sacrifice and discipline and discipleship and investment… and ultimately at some point or another sorrow and loss. That part of the story looks different for each of us, but if you ask any mother if she has ever experienced tears of deep sorrow wept over her children, I bet that it would be hard to find a single one that hadn't. That’s because, quite simply, the price tag of Motherhood is heartache.

And so, I don’t know what your Motherhood story is, but I want you to hear the message that I heard today, and the promise that Christ has for all women who seek to raise the next generation of Christ-followers:

You are not forgotten. 
I see you.

The mother who has all of her children waiting for her in heaven, not one whom she has gotten to hold…

The mother caring for the child with special needs…

The single mom working three jobs to put food on the table…

The mother who has struggled to conceive for years, and yet waits with a closed womb…

The mother who struggled with cancer at the same time that her child had cancer…

The mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks before delivering her third child…

The mother who delivered her stillborn daughter...

 The mother of the prodigal son…

The mother who is waiting to hear if she has miscarried, and the one who just lost a life in her womb for the first time...

The teenage girl who is being asked to be a mom way too early in life...

The mother who daily lays down her life for the happiness and holiness of her children…

I SEE YOU. 

I see your sweat and tears, your sleepless nights and tiresome days. I am bottling each tear, and transforming each labor-some hour. Children are a reward, a priceless treasured arrow in your quiver. But do not be mistaken-

 I am your source of Joy. 

{unending, overflowing, always-present} Joy.

 

No amount of heartache, no well of sorrow, no depth of loss will go without full repayment on the joyful day of Eternity. 

And that day is worth the wait (trust Me)...

YOU WILL BE {eternally} HAPPY.

...and the nations will praise My Name...

*This post is dedicated to my mother, the ultimate example of sacrifice, humility, and the beauty that comes out of brokenness

.…and to all the women listed above- you know who you are...
I see your faces (as does Jesus), and I am thankful for you.