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.
