The Gift Of Mothering

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

My mom is steady, loving, and wise. She loves me despite knowing my worst and tells me the truth in love, even when I’m not sure I want to hear it. She mothers me (and others) well. The older I grow, the more I appreciate her—both as a woman who walks alongside me and as my mother.

The beautiful thing is that my mom, as much as I love her, is not the only woman who mothers me. As I’ve found myself in community with other women of all ages and backgrounds, their compassion, encouragement, and—at times—gentle correction have helped form who I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My connection with fellow faith-filled women keeps me grounded and moving forward.

I feel it in the surprise delivery of a fancy coffee to my office during a horrible, terrible, no-good week. I see it in our music teacher, who knows everyone by name and quietly meets needs no one else notices. I feel it in Christa’s bear hugs, a squeeze so tight you can’t help but understand that you are loved. It is the middle school language arts and math teachers who create a loving, safe space for my children to be their goofy, authentic selves. It is my mother-in-law, a woman who pours love over my children in ways that bring tears to my eyes.

I am surrounded by women whose words and actions reveal their faith. They mother others, in the best possible definition of that word, regardless of whether or not they have birthed a child of their own. My family has been blessed beyond measure by women such as these during challenging moments and chaotic seasons. These women are the very definition of church—the people, not the building—a living embodiment of today’s verse.

I owe so much of who I am to women who have taken the time and energy to mother me and those I love. It’s a debt of gratitude that gets paid forward and forward and forward through encouragement, cheerleading, intercessory prayer, wise advice, laughter, and an occasional hug as we do our best to love God and love others together.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Who has mothered you well? Send her a note of thanks.