A Mothers Love

The love of a parent is a rare type of love; a type of love that we don't experience often. I'd compare it to the most Heavenly type of love we'll ever experience in our earthly bodies: sacrificial, endless love. 

In a Biblical sense, this kind of love is called "agape". Agape love, by definition is “selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible”. This Greek word and variations of it are found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers:

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” John 14:21

This spiritual and unconditional love is experienced between you and the Father, but I feel like a human encounter with this type of love is with our mothers. Mothers are selfless, sacrificial and their love is boundless and endless. When you were just a child in her womb, she sacrificed her body for you. When you were an infant and spent hours crying at night, she selflessly stayed awake with you. When you were a kid in school and fought with her, she unconditionally loved you. It’s one of those rare experiences that we don’t get to witness very often and it’s most of the time overlooked and underappreciated. But today is Mother’s Day, so take a moment and reflect on how much your mother has silently been your champion, stood by your side, pushed you, loved you, nurtured you, cared for you, laughed with you, cried with you, disciplined you, fought for you, cried for you, prayed for you. If that’s not a reflection of God’s love on earth, I’m not sure what is.

So happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. To the biological mommies and the unbiological mommies. To the women who stepped into the “mom” roll in many childrens lives. To the teachers who represent that feminine influence to their children. To the pastors who guide their flock. To the grandmas and aunts and nieces that stepped up with life got tough. To all the women who encouraged and loved you along the way.

To my mother: my rock, my confidant, my friend, my therapist, my counselor, my travel bud, my cheerleader, my supporter, my encourager, my mom. Thank you for the exhausting years that you’ve been by my side and listened to me laugh, cry, moan, groan, and complain. Thank you for not giving up on me even when I’ve given up on myself. Thank you for teaching me and training me to be a woman of God. Thank you for coaching me and guiding me through difficult battles and thank you for stepping back and letting me learn my own way when needed. Thank you for pushing me when I needed a nudge and thank you for hugging me and protecting me from the pains of the world. I love you and am so thankful for having you as my mother.