A Tribute to Those Superheroes Known as Mom's

            Since Sunday is Mother’s Day, I want to write a tribute to Superhero Momma’s today.  The Bible has a lot to say about mothering.  Jesus loved his momma so much that one of the last things He did on the cross was to make sure his mother was taken care of (John 19:26-27) after he left the earth.  One of my favorite scriptures about mothers is: 

Proverbs 31:28-29

²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying],

^29 [c]Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

I think this is when we should I should cue the background theme music because really if I’m going to write a tribute to awesome mom’s that are really superheroes but mothering is their cover this is when the music should begin.  (Grin)

            My mother is awesome.  She’s always been my cheerleader.  I’m well aware that raising me came with a long list of trails, and my mother always pushed me further than I wanted to go at the moment, and insisted that I strive to more than I thought possible.  She taught me the value of a good education.  She fought for me to use my creativity in life, and still inspires me not to quit.  She has always been one of my closest confidants, and not matter what crazy idea I come up with next she’s always quick behind me ready to help me move forward and make it happen.  She rose up a standard of righteousness in my home and made sure that I was raised in a church.  I can remember singing and worshipping God in the car on our way to and from church on Sunday.  She sowed seeds in my life that continue to grow throughout generations.  It is because of the God in her, that I am who I am today.   

            Somehow as a little girl I think we all have this misguided notion that becoming a parent is easy, and mothering is what one will do while wearing a floral apron with a perfect teased flip hairdo.  That maybe we’ll dole out wisdom with Jell-O molds.  Then motherhood happened, and I found out it’s more like being a soldier at battle in the middle of a trench.  You wake up one day with baby puke in your hair and it’s two in the morning.  You go to wash your face and you don’t recognize your reflection.  You navigate the landmines of the teenage years with a smile and wielding a, “You had better change that attitude before I get across this room missy!  I will not be talked to like that.  I brought you into this world and I can take you out!”  (LOL!) Somewhere in the midst of all of that I discovered mothers really are superheroes.  I am far from being a perfect mother, but I do think God graces us all with the power to raise the children He gave us.  Every day we sow seeds into our children, and daily all we can do is to raise them the way He is showing us. 

It’s not easy.  Mothering, I think, is one of the most challenging and rarely appreciated role on the planet.  It’s being a doctor when the booboo’s happen.  It’s being a lawyer to negotiate sibling argument terms.  It’s being a seamstress when your child rips a whole in their favorite shirt for the tenth time and still will not think of it hitting the trash.  It’s being their pastor.  It’s being their cheerleader, pushing them and encouraging them to move forward and telling them that they can.  Mothering is being a child’s psychiatrist, listening to their hopes, rejections, and fears.  It can mean being their personal maid because someone has to wash their socks.  It’s sometimes being a taxi driver, an analyst, lobbyist, a marketing executive, but most of all it’s being a friend. 

Sometime ago at the end of a business relationship, when he was trying to insult me, told me all I was pretty much ever going to be was a mother.  If I am a fraction of the mother my mom is to me, then I think that’s a pretty darn good accomplishment in my life.  Society puts a negative connotation on being a mom, but really creating legacy is one of the best things you can do on this planet. 

So for all you Mothers out there who often don’t get your due credit, I salute you.  You are the superheroes of the earth.  You are fighting injustice.  You are mending hearts, and matching socks.  Keep listening to the voice of God on how to raise those children, keep praying for them, and keep dreaming big for your lives and your children!

God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!