Most
of the mothers who read this post are exemplary at doing their best, even if
your children criticize you. Your courage, tenacity, unconditional love, tears,
disappointments, struggles, etc. are appreciated, even if your children do not
notice or appreciate what you experienced on their behalf.
You
endured countless hours of sleep deprivation, sibling squabbles, sacrifice of
your time and energy and resources, interruptions of your limited private time
- even while using the bathroom, and couple time with your spouse.
You
juggled your time between your vocation, home, and the massive amount of hours
spent on supporting your child's/children's/grandchildren's hobbies and civic
and school activities, all the while attempting to be a supportive wife, church
member and community activist.
I
applaud you and thank you on behalf of our society, which is reaping the good
morals and example which you lived out in front of your children. Keep up the
good work. You fathers too may have contributed to this wonderful gift to our
world, and we thank you as well.
We
are in good company, however. With all of our sacrifices, we do not come close
to the amount of suffering Jesus experienced in order to supply us with the
free gift of salvation. God provides this blessing for everyone willing to
recognize their need for a Savior, repent of their sins, and call on Jesus'
name (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10).
Jesus
endured horrendous abuse and the painful and mortifying crucifixion on
Calvary's cross to pay the penalty of our immoral, self-centered and prideful
rebellion against God. We deserve eternal suffering in hell, but He gave us
everlasting joy instead.
Prayer:
Father
God, we can never thank You enough for coming to earth as our Emmanuel, in
order to bring us to Heaven with You. We love the fact that You find joy in the
death of Your Saints, because it makes us feel like You are sitting on the edge
of Your throne, just waiting for us to come spend eternity with You (Psalm
116:15). You even rejoice over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
We
often feel like a martyr, because of all that we endure during our lifetime.
However, nothing we experience comes close to what You suffered to pay the
penalty of our sins. We are so sorry, Lord God, that Your abuse and execution
came as the direct result of our ungodly behavior. Teach us to walk righteously
in this world. Bless our efforts with our children, and draw them ever closer
to Your heart.
Thought
for the Day:
The
most difficult job on this planet is to serve as a parent, and to experience
the disrespect, complaints, raised eyebrows, smirks and even disobedience our
children dish out to us from time-to-time; yet, the rewards of having a loving
child are greater than anything else this world has to offer.
