A Mother's Day reflection...

[Entry from journal - 10.May.09]

Today, we had a special Mother's Day service in honor of Mother's Day, a fairly typical gesture among churches, but still appreciated nonetheless. The message itself was good (again, fairly typical for Mother's Day), but there was something he said towards the end that really caught my attention.

For his sermon, the pastor referenced Proverbs 31, a passage which lauds the virtues of a godly woman. In particular, he focused on v. 28~30 which speak of how the husband and children of a virtuous woman (should) praise her, and how doing so is as much an act of love as (if not more so than) any gift that could be bought.

Towards the end of the sermon, he mentioned childbirth, and though there is great pain involved, once the child is born, that pain is quickly forgotten and is replaced, instead, with love.

Childbirth. Such a common thing, and yet we (most of us) still treat each as something precious and beautiful. But have you ever really stopped to think about just how incredible it was that God bestowed upon us such a gift as childbirth? Ladies, I realize the actual act of carrying a child to term, and then subsequently birthing it, is anything but pleasant. But how awesome is it that God should bless you with such a life-generating and life-sustaining gift, a gift that is 2nd only to His own. Man cannot boast such a power by his own natural means, and all the science in the world can faithfully reproduce what the female body has been doing since the first humans walked the earth.

So what does this say about motherhood? If child-birthing is one of the greatest blessings that could be passed down to (wo)man, then I believe motherhood to be the proof of membership into one of the highest callings a woman could hold. And when I say "motherhood", I'm not limiting the title to only those women who have given birth naturally, nor even to those who have chosen to adopt. There are many ladies who, for honorable and selfless reasons, cannot devote themselves to caring for a child or children in the typical parental sense, but who can still impact the life or lives of children in such a way that only a woman can.

So for those of you mothers who have answered such a wonderful calling, to you do we owe a great debt of gratitude! We quiet literally wouldn't be here without you ;) And I believe the appreciation and gratitude typically shown during Mother's Day should not be limited to only one day, but should be observed and renewed on a daily basis.

Of this, I am the most guilty. So let me begin my repentance now by sending my mother a public, trans-Atlantic Mother's Day wish:

I love you, Mom. I'm so grateful that God made you my mother :)

神様、ぼくのおかあさんにどうもありがとうございます！