Some things are temporary while other things are more permanent. My need for a haircut is temporary. The newest I-phone or latest television craze…also temporary. Even the worldwide pandemic (despite long-term consequences) is temporary. These difficult days will come to an end. At almost fifty years old, I’ve seen many things come and go, things that are here today and gone tomorrow. But today I want to speak about permanent things…everlasting things… heavenly treasures and not earthly ones. I want to speak about a mother’s love.
As I look in the mirror at who I am today, I see a lot of my mom in me. A sensitive and compassionate spirit, a passion for hospitality and feeding people, spiritual disciplines like tithing and praying that my mother religiously made sure I did, they are parts of my mom’s character and values that exist in me today.
When I was serving as a missionary in Central Asia there was a family who wanted to send their daughter to the local missionary school but lived too far away. After much prayer and discussion our family decided that she could live with us. For the next two years we cared for her as if she was our second daughter. It’s interesting but I now see that even such a decision was because of my mother’s influence. Growing up we always had people in need temporarily staying with us. So much of who I am came from the tireless care, intentional teaching, and unspoken modeling of behavior by my mother.
I realize not everyone has the same experiences as me and for many Mother’s Day brings up feelings of pain, absence, and even loss. In fact, how many people around the world have lost a maternal figure through this pandemic! What a bittersweet day it will be, I cannot begin to imagine.
But this I know. The love of a mother or maternal figure is something that can never be tarnished, taken, nor destroyed. It is a gift of God that lives in you, extends toward others, and will remain for eternity. May we give thanks to God as we celebrate those people who poured out love toward us and made us who we are today. For mothers and maternal figures all around the world, Happy Mother’s Day!
Pastor Kim
