Hannah Strang is one of our awesome worship leaders at Restoration. In light of Mother’s Day, here’s her reflection on how motherhood reflects the heart of God.
As we approach Mothers Day, I’ve been reflecting on the way our Heavenly Father also loves us with a mother’s love. As a woman who is both a mom and a minister, I strive to love my child and my church with the same tenacity that Creator God loves me with.
The strength of a mother’s love shows us so much about God. Mothers know what it’s like to carry the weight of the world. They know how to intercede on someone’s behalf, how to bear burdens without even being asked to. Mothers don’t require praise. They don’t ration their compassion. Mothers know how to speak the truth in love. Mothers know what it’s like to wait and anticipate. Mothers know how to cherish what is beautiful. They know how to carry a hope, a dream, for months or years.
Mothers know the co-existence of faith and sorrow, of righteous frustration and and perseverance. Mothers know how to live with pain. How to experience loss and sadness deep within their very being, but still bear dignity and strength. In our broken world, so many mothers have sadly experienced the soul-crushing loss of a child. These mothers are living, breathing examples of the grace of God. Their lives bear witness to what has been lost, but also what remains. The scars they bear radiate beauty, and that love reminds me of the hope of resurrection.
Mothers know how to look at the heart, how to find beauty where others only see failure. They know their worth without overemphasizing it. Mothers are shepherds. Mothers are warriors. Mothers are fierce, loyal, long-suffering. They are persistent and insistent. They literally bear life and grow within themselves a hope for the future. They tirelessly work not for their own gain, but for the gain of those they love. And when I look at a loving mother, I see the heart of God. The image of Christ.
So to all who are mothers, thank you for shining the love of God into our lives.