Sunday, May 12, 2024

Mother’s Day

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.”
—Isaiah 49:15

 

What the Bible is saying in this passage is: that while a mother can forget the love she has for her child, God never will. The design of this passage is apparent. It is to show that the love which God has for his people is stronger than that which is produced by the most tender ties created by any natural relation. The love of a mother for her infant child is one of the strongest attachments in nature. The question here implies that it was unusual for a mother to be unmindful of that tie and to forsake the child that she should nourish and love. With that being said, in the passage above, Isaiah was asking a theoretical question when he said, "Can a woman forget her nursing child?" This passage praises mothers as symbols of amazing compassion, never forgetting their beloved children.

 

Mothers are not perfect. Mine sure isn’t. Every mother is flawed, just as we are all flawed. However, no matter how flawed we may be, God's love for us is unchanging and unchangeable. He gives us generous grace and great compassion for all time and throughout eternity. While my mother and I may have our disagreements, we have a strong bond, though not nearly as strong as it once was before I came out, it is still there. She is my comfort, even when she is not comforting. That may sound odd, but when I was young, my mother often sang to us. Sometimes it was silly little songs like “Fishy in a Bowl,” “Do Lord,” or "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," though she had her own versions of each one. However, the one I remember most is “You Are My Sunshine.” Even today, when I am sad and lonely or having anxiety or even a full-on panic attack, I can remember my mother singing ‘You Are My Sunshine,” and I am comforted. Part of it has to do with the rhythm of the song helping to slow my rapidly beating heart, but it’s also because I remember the good times when my mother would sing this to me.

 

I want to leave you with a different verse because while we may see things very differently, my mother does still love me. I firmly believe that she always will. She can’t help but love me. (Who couldn’t? I’m quite lovable. LOL)

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
—1 Corinthians 13:4-7

5 comments:

RICARDO said...

The most beautiful words from Paul

RB said...

Is she able to help you with your migraines? Did she ever visit you in Vermont?

Joe said...

RB, my mother is no help with my migraines. Sometimes, she’s the cause of them. She has been to visit several times, but her health is not good enough for her to travel alone. She has balance issues and the early stages of dementia. My father can’t fly because of inner ear issues, and my sister won’t come to visit, so there is not anyone who would/could come with her unless she and my dad drove up here, which they did once with my aunt. I don’t expect anyone from my family to ever visit me up here again unless it’s my niece or nephew when they are old enough.

RB said...

"Won't" -- Are you estranged from your sister?

Joe said...

RB, it’s not that I’m estranged from my sister. We used to have a very close relationship until she married a man who hates me, so he would never allow her to come up here. She quit working when she had kids, and he is very controlling with their finances. They’ve been married 25 years, and they act one of those years my relationship with my sister had deteriorated.