(I dedicate the following poem to my wife, Cara who is such a blessing in my life and is raising my four little children in the Lord every day and also to my mother, Mary, who raised me and blessed me with her guidance and love. This poem is a celebration of Christian mothers everywhere who are blessed by God with this unique, beautiful and precious work.)
You are a priceless gift from the greatest Giver.
A life-guardian, a cherisher of children, a teacher of precious growing ones, a learner of a trillion trades.
God put you here
In the middle of the daily normal,
In the endless sea of numbing tasks…yet each a cup of cold water…each an honored service.
He put you here
Surrounded by ear-splitting cries and tiring questions
Challenges that change every day
Enduring moments that wear you down body and spirit.
He put you here
In this whirlwind, in the shock of the stress and chaos and mess…
All difficult, all strangely beautiful, all blessed and incredibly forgiven.
He put you here.
Just as you are
Just as he made you
Just as he is forming you, fashioning you—clay in the hands of the Master
You are never enough
But you are always enough through Him.
Overwhelmed and under-appreciated
Attention divided in every direction
Countless moments of strength and weakness
Patience taxed and tested
Creativity in overdrive
Moments of mountain-top beaming triumph and door-closed weeping failure
Moments of silliness and laughter and stern, loving correction.
What a profound mixture of guilt and grace, fear and hope, unbelievable sadness and unspeakable joy, heart-stopping pain and life-changing love.
Awed, that in your trembling arms God puts new life
Grateful, that in your weakest moments he provides just enough strength
Awe-struck at the awesome far-reaching responsibility he gives you
Flooded with joy at the precious moments that steal your breath
Experiencing love that defies all definition
He put you here
Where little fingers softly touch, little arms wrap round your neck
Where eyes flash love and lips kiss soft
He gave you this little one, these little ones, these head-strong ones, these broken ones, these unique ones, these needy ones, these growing ones, these sinful ones, these forgiven ones…
They are His. His children in your care. Your children. Such incredible gifts.
He put you here.
Teaching truths that last for all eternity
Pointing sinful eyes to the Savior’s cross
Demonstrating life that lives for Him
Shaping, training, building, correcting, nurturing, protecting, comforting
He put you here.
He blessed you here.
And He blessed us all with you.
For without you there would be no life, no future.
Without you the world stops, nations crumble and fall, chaos reigns, generations fall away…
Do not forget how blessed you are, how privileged you are.
Do not forget how unique you are, how important you are.
Do not forget how loved you are, how forgiven you are.
How your Savior lived and bled and rose for you
How He covers you and all you love in his perfect life, his perfect love
How your God has freed you from all fear, cleansed you from all guilt.
He put you here.
In this day, in this moment, with life in your care.
And today we thank God for you.
We recognize and affirm you.
We appreciate you, honor you
Love you.
You are a priceless gift from the greatest Giver.
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