“Spring Tulips” | Photo by Rebekah Brackett, Brackett Studios

Mother’s Day is a lovely time to pause and reflect with gratitude on the many wonderful virtues of the moms in our lives. I’ve always loved celebrating my mom; she’s my hero and in more ways than one, she laid down her life for me. But this holiday can be full of mixed emotions… Some of us experience daily the loss of our mom due to illness, age, accident or separation. Time never seems to ease the emptiness we feel in the place our precious momma once filled. Some are working through the painful confusion of wondering why mom did the things she did or said the hurtful things she said. A chasm lies between which doesn’t seem capable of being crossed. For others, we hold tender, aching hearts that yet another year has passed without our realizing the dream of becoming a mother ourselves. We rejoice with all of our momma friends, but long to enjoy the (very full!) gift of motherhood. And others are grieving the delay of more children or the almost unbearable loss of children, either before or after birth. With these varied stories in mind, I’d like to share a couple of verses I am clinging to this Mother’s Day, with the hope they will encourage all my sweet friends who are also facing grief in the midst of the day’s celebrations: Jesus says through the Prophet Isaiah, “I’ll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy. God will create a new thing in this land: A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!” (Jeremiah 31:14a, 22 – The Message)

I understand faith is a very personal choice, and whether or not you share my faith in Jesus, I hope you know my heart is with you in your suffering as well as in your celebration. But it is my soul’s delight to rest in the promises of God to do all He said He would do in the verses above (and more!). I am grateful to see in my own life the power of being transformed from the inside out through a personal relationship with Jesus. He is truly turning my mourning into dancing, my weeping into laughter, and invading my grief with His contagious joy — He’s lavishing comfort in the hard places and helping me through the pain. Jesus is transforming the ashes of my life into beauty, and He is more than willing to do this for you and with you! (I, too, am willing to walk by the side of my friends as I journey through my own “stuff”. Just reach out!)

I’m hoping this message brings encouragement to those in need of it today. And if none of this post applies to you and you’re still reading, I hope you’ll enjoy the beauty of these vibrant flowers! They made my heart smile, and I’m glad to share them with you.

Be well!