Finding Our Place on Mother’s Day

(5 Minute Read)

By Carmen Fischer

Growing up, one of my biggest dreams was to be a mom. I wanted a household of kids and a husband to do life with. And yet, here I am in my early 30s, still living the single life. 

Each year, when Mother’s Day comes, it’s always a little bittersweet. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love celebrating my mom. My mom is amazing! She has a huge heart for her family and friends and loves to serve others in whatever way she can. My mom is also an amazing Oma. My nieces are so blessed to have her. She’s always there when we need her and she will still do anything for us kids and her grandkids. My mom is pretty amazing and God has definitely blessed our family because of her – and that deserves to be celebrated. 

But when I sit in church and we celebrate the moms, part of my heart hurts for what isn’t yet true for me. I look around the room and see so many others like me; sitting there with a part of our hearts hurting for what is not us. Some women are like me – single. Others are married, but do not yet have kids. Others are married and physically unable to have kids. And some women are married, but have suffered through a miscarriage (or more than one). We sit in service with a smile on our face and pain in our hearts. Mother’s Day is not always a good day. 

A few years ago, while I was attending university in Edmonton, I was in church one Sunday and our pastor spent the whole sermon talking about Mother’s Day. Usually during these sermons, I would tune out and not really pay attention. But unlike previous years, this year was different. He spoke on Deuteronomy 6 – not your typical Mother’s Day sermon. 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

Did you catch what God is saying here? Hear, O Israel. This isn’t a command given to just the parents, but to the whole community. As a community they were to talk about the commands God had given them. As a community they were to raise up their children. 

When we do baby dedications, our whole church stands up and makes a commitment to support the parents and help them raise their children. I love this because it is a continuation of what God commanded in Deuteronomy 6. It takes a community to raise up a child. 

I may not be a mom, but I am a spiritual mother to the kids I serve. I am invested in their lives and help them grow spiritually. I come alongside parents, encouraging and equipping them as they teach their children. The impact we have on the children we work with is eternal. Think about those who were spiritually invested in your life. Those older women who may or may not have had kids. They may not have been your physical mother, but the impact they have had on your life is just as important. 

Not all of our kids come from good homes, and their stories hurt our hearts, but even so, we can come alongside these precious kids and be a spiritual parent to them. The impact of a spiritual parent is eternal. 

So, while you may not be a physical mother, you are a spiritual mother to the children you work with and the children in your life. And that deserves to be celebrated. So, stand up. Take your place with the other moms in your church. 

To all the moms, and spiritual moms, out there – Happy Mother’s Day! 

P.S. To all the men reading this – celebrate your mom, but don’t forget those who have invested in your life, too.