“He gently leads those that have young.” – Isaiah 40:11
Jacqueline Marie | May 6, 2022
There is something about this day that seems like it is bathed in a glow of sunlight and the scent of flowers. Motherhood is one of the most beautiful callings. Those that nurture and raise the young: biologically, adoptively, or spiritually reflect part of the nature of God.
At the last women’s ministries night we hosted in my church hall (before Covid), Shirley — a woman well into her 80’s — got up to speak. We hushed quickly in the automatic reverence a group of 30-40 something year old women give to a beloved matriarch moving towards the mic.
But Shirley had no intention of being reverent. She was hilarious. Cracking jokes about all her pregnancies and reminding all of us of how similar we were to her. At the end she told us a story.
In her early 30’s she lived in Victoria, British Columbia. She had a throng of young children, and was in the hair-raising hour before supper when everything tends to go crazy. (Let me hear an amen from the mothers who know). She stood over her stove and prayed, “Jesus please give me just a little break, I’m exhausted.”
It started snowing.
…in Victoria, Canada.
(Now you may think Canada is the land of the blizzard, but on Vancouver Island snow is a “once-every-couple-of-years” novelty).
All her children excitedly shrieked at the white stuff: they immediately put on their coats, went outside, and played for the rest of the day.
Shirley wept. For her, those moments of peace were a miracle. She said each snowflake reminded her of the gentleness of Jesus. The tired prayers of a mama doing her best mattered to our Lord. She nurtured her babies and He nurtured her.
This story applies to us all. For many of us mothers, the literal connection has us already assuming Shirley is now on her way to sainthood; but for others longing for renewal in your parish, nurturing the flame of mission in its infancy, the metaphorical link is very real as well.
Growth, nurture, cultivating, these are exhausting callings on our own.
Christ takes the exhausting and elevates it to peace and play. He takes the gifts of our time, prayers, and love and turns them into something beautiful.
This Mother’s Day, we hope you take sabbath rest and allow Jesus to gently care for your heart as well.
