Mom and Sacrifice

I just wanted to take a minute tonight to wish Happy Mother's Day to all mothers in the blog world. I have been thinking about this most of the day. As many of you know, my mother is residing in the nursing home. It was such a hard decision for my family to make, but we had to do it. As my Mom would say, " You have to do what you have to do!" I visit Mom everyday and watch the slow progress of her disease as it takes over her body. It's not a pleasant experience for all of us. I was reminded that Mary felt the same thing. She had to watch her son being tortured, mocked, and killed. It was a slow process and one that no one wants to experience. Could God have stopped it? Yes he could, but he knew that Jesus was going to sacrifice himself for all of those he loved. I thank Jesus for that sacrifice! A mother's love and sacrifice is very similar. A mother will go to no end to protect her children. She endures great pain to bring them into this world, with no regret! She loves and nutures her babies with such care. She never thinks twice about the sacrifices that she has to make. In some cases , the sacrifices are truly greater than others. I think about the many times that my Mom did without. She could have chosen to buy things she wanted or she could have chosen to put us second in her life, but she didn't . Jesus could have chosen to not take the path of sacrifice. Life is all about choices. As a mom, we make many choices. They are choices that don't just affect us, but they affect our children. We carefully weigh our decisions, many times spending hours and days on those decisions. My mother was never a selfish person! I learned from the best. She would give freely and never ask for anything in return. She raised three children on a seamstress salary. As I was growing up, I never thought about the long hours she worked or the times that she worked when she was sick. As an adult and a mother, I realize now just why she made the choices that she did. I remember Mother telling me how she asked God to supply her with a job to support her children and she would live her life for Him. My mother held true to her request and of course, God held true to His. My mother's life was dedicated to God and her children. What a better example could you have. She has always taken care of someone in her life. She was a true giver! I grew up knowing no difference. She passed that trait along. My mother was always my best friend. I could tell her anything. Now she always offered her advice and many times I didn't take that advice. The truth is , that my Mom would always end up being right. I miss those days. Our conversations are short now and most of the time, she doesn't even remember what we talk about. In the past year, I loned for my mother's advice. I loned for our heart to heart talks that made things better. I loned for her wisdom and understanding. But most of all I loned for her prayers. My mother was a prayer warrior. No one understands about things like your Mom. I am so thankful today to have had a mother who instilled in me the love of God. She brought me up and taught me about God and his love. She taught me that when times are tough, that God is a constant. She taught me that the world holds nothing compared to God. She taught me to live my life by God's principles and to stand firm. She taught me to always stand on God's word! She taught me to be a praying Mother. I thank God for my mother. I'm so thankful that God showed me favor in giving me a Godly mother. As a mother, we may not always make the right decisions, but if leave it in God's hands , He will make the right decision. Be true to God and not the world. Do the right thing and not what is popular. Know that there will be times that your children think you don't know anything. But also know that God is in control and He knows everything. Give your Mom a big hug today and treasure each moment that you have with her. Tell Jesus just how much you appreciate his precious gift of sacrifice. Being a mother is about loving your child/children more than loving yourself. Thank you God for giving me a precious mother! A mother that loves you more that anything . Thank you for a mother who gave to her family and never asked for anything back. Lord thank you that my Mom was an example of you. Lord today I ask that your blessings fall upon her and all of her family. I pray that as each day comes and she loses a little more of her past, that she never loses a memory of you. In Jesus Name, Amen.