Extreme Emotions of Motherhood

     Today is Mother’s Day. It is a day we celebrate MOTHERHOOD! It was a day of extreme emotions for me. Today, at church, we had two young couples dedicate their babies to the Lord. Baby dedications are special to me because when Brittne dedicated her life to missions and I wanted to hold on to her. However, God asked me if I meant what I said when I dedicated her as a baby to Him. I had to stand on the words I spoke. I love baby dedications and I had much joy for the two babies being dedicated to God today. However, on the other extreme of the feeling spectrum was the pain another couple in our church was feeling. We had planned on all the couples standing together as they dedicated their children to the Lord. What we didn’t know is that God would have one couple walk through the greatest baby dedication a couple could be asked to do. For them, their dedication meant giving their three month old son not only spiritually to the Lord but physically to the Lord. He is now in Heaven with the Lord. They did not stand with the other parents today, holding their son. For them it had already been done.

     Motherhood is full of extreme emotions. I had another friend lose their teenage son in a car wreck Friday. Though she has experienced major joy in her life as a mother; today she experienced the extreme of motherhood, a deep and hurting heart.
     Hannah was a mother that experienced these extremes. She prayed and begged God for child. He answered and gave her a child. She gave him back to the Lord by taking him to the temple at 3 years of age and she only saw him once a year. I cannot imagine walking away from my toddler!
     From my personal experience and from my watching other’s who go through the extremeness of life; the only way to endure is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Letting Him leave, letting Him direct, letting Him heal, and letting Him comfort us is the only way to keep from ending up in a pit of despair and bitterness. I have been blessed to know so many women who have experienced great hurt in life and who has never lost their dependence on Jesus. They have shown great strength in their witness of the powerful grace of God in their lives. May I be as faithful!

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord.

1 Samuel 27-28