A Mother's Love

Mom passed away Feb 26th, 2018.  She lived on this earth for 94 years and one day shy of one month  I had the awesome responsibility of conducting a memorial service and graveside for her on March 1st.  What do you say to best honor your mother and hopefully give some comfort to those who will miss her most? 

As I prayed about it, this passage came to mind…

         “Can a woman forget her nursing child

         And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

         Even these may forget, but I will not forget you." (Is 49:15).

When I called Uncle Bill to let him know about Mom, he said, "There is something special about a mother's love."  I have thought about that statement many times since she passed.  There is indeed something incredible, unique, pure, and sustaining about the love a mother has for her child.  It is as close to the love of God as anything we will experience in this life.  God's love is described as "agape" in scripture.  It is "unconditional".  God loves us in spite of our sin. 

      "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Ro 5:8)

Typically this is how a mother loves us.  As I grew up, I always felt Mom's love and support.  She really believed in me, and communicated it in a variety of ways.  As a little tike she would rock me and sing me to sleep.  Later she would read nursery rhymes.  That love and touch communicated that all was well in the world and I was protected and provided for.

Later she supported me with her kindness and encouragement.  She once told me, "There is nothing you cannot accomplish, if you set your mind to it."  I was just gullible enough to believe her. When her father, Papa had some encouragement for me, she passed it on, "Donald will make his mark."

How many times over the years have these messages supported and strengthened when tempted with discouragement?

Of course we will not always have a mother's love.  But we will always have God's love, made known in Christ.  A mother's love is but an earthly example of the true and eternal love of God for each of His children. 

          31      What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

          32      He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

          33      Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

          34      who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

          35      Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

          36      Just as it is written,

         “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;

         WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

          37      But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

          38      For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

          39      nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 8:31–Ro 9.