I got a card in the mail yesterday.
I shredded the envelope like a kid on Christmas morning, because I could tell it wasn’t one of those fake cursive ones from State Farm asking you to bundle your auto and home insurance. They try to trick me every time, but I’ve caught on to their schemes…
Anyway, the front of the card read: “Thinking of you on Mother’s Day.”
You can imagine my confusion, considering… I’m not a Mom. I giggled a little at the thought of someone accidentally sending that to me. I cracked the card open. I had to find out who made the mix-up. On the inside, I noticed the pretty curls of my mom’s handwriting.
The card was for me.
She wrote:
A “mother” is someone who cares, who puts others before herself, seeks Godly direction, and is wise. You meet my definition of the meaning of mother in so many ways.
Love always,
Mom
Every emotion inside of me surged. I’ve been struggling lately with single-hood, let alone a desire for a family someday. It had to have been God working through my Mom at the exact time I needed it.
With one card, God and my mom fought against all the voices in my head – voices that say I’ll never be a mother, that I’ll never really be able to pass on any wisdom to others, that I’ll never be valued by a family of my own, that my story won’t have as much impact as someone who has children… because children represent a tangible legacy.
With one card, God and my mom reminded me that my voice has worth in this world full of Instagram-cluttered family pictures, and that legacies are built on following Christ, not on having children.
In a recent Bible study on the book of Ruth, I read about a woman named Naomi.
*Spoiler Alert* – She lost her husband and her two sons and was left with nothing in a foreign land. That kind of tragedy leaves bitterness and deep-rooted pain in its wake. That’s the kind of sorrow that leaves people wondering why they even exist. Despite her grief, Naomi shuffled forward alongside her daughter-in-law, setting forth a chain of events that would forever change history. Her journey forged the lineage of Christ.
Between this story and the card from my Mom, I’m reminded that women have great power in this world, and the way we see things and process life can impact people profoundly.
So to all the women who don’t have kids, remember that you are a mother in many ways, and that every day, God gives you opportunities to nurture and protect those around you.
To all the women who do have children, thank you for how you love on your kiddos and raise them up to be kind-hearted and strong. You are appreciated more than you know.
To all women everywhere: Build your legacy with wisdom and grace. What you do matters, and it’s all building a Kingdom greater than this.
