I’m convinced that a mother’s heart feels the depths of human emotion on a level that is unexplainable to anyone but another mother. The superhuman ability to feel another human’s emotions as your own can be overwhelming and devastating to the soul yet this is what a mother does. Day after day, sleepless night after night, we carry the weight of our own feelings and the full magnitude of our children’s as well. Mothers are truly remarkable.
I am lucky enough to be both a boy and girl mom. I have seen my fair share of princesses and superheroes and I think it was Spiderman who said, “with great power comes great responsibility.” You know where I am going with this, right? Mothers have superhuman abilities when it comes to our kids. That’s the power. The responsibility we choose to demonstrate makes all the difference.
As for me, I choose to pray. Actually, pray doesn’t feel like a strong enough verb. I choose to plead with the Lord on behalf of my children. I choose to wrestle between carnal desire and holy duty. I choose to cry out until the Heavens hear me. I choose to be persistent in my requests. And perhaps most importantly of all, I choose to believe that God is working on behalf of my children even when I can’t outwardly see it.
I had a sleepless night last night as I was pleading with the Lord and standing in the gap for one of my kids. I woke up with a heavy heart and I began thinking about Jesus own mother and wondered how she prayed for her son. She knew he was the perfect Son of God but I know that she prayed for him nonetheless. Her position was unique. She both recognized him as the child she raised and loved as herself and as her Savior, the Son of God. I think she demonstrated her role as both his mother and as servant of the Lord so clearly when Jesus turned water into wine.
Picture it. A wedding with celebration and many guests! I am sure it was the event of the year! The bible describes this in the book of John, chapter 2. The wine was gone and Mary went to Jesus just as I would imagine I might go to my grown son to help as well. She said, “They have no more wine.” She told him the problem and that was it. He replied, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”
Still, his mother was confident in him. She told the servants, “do whatever he tells you.” And Jesus answered her request. The wedding had more wine and it tasted better than the wine they had served at the beginning!! This miracle didn’t save anyone’s life or heal someone. The day could have gone on without it yet he performed it anyway. It was a miracle that he performed because it was important to his Earthly mother and his spiritual daughter. She asked and believed it would be done.
He cares about what is important to us, as well. He cares about what is important to our children and he hears us when we cry out on their behalf!
I want to emulate Mary when I take my children’s problems to my Lord. She knew he would satisfy her need so she did not worry. She left him alone and counted on his to fulfill her request. She didn’t waver in her faith and she didn’t doubt he would come through. She wasn’t running around in chaos making a back up plan or trying to solve it on her own. She took it to the only one who could truly perform a miracle for the wedding.
Help us Lord, to believe like Mary. And God bless the mamas. You surely broke the mold when you made them.