Lessons From a Mother's Heart Exemplo

When I was growing up my parents didn't have a lot of money, but they didn’t want their children to lack anything. They worked as hard as they could to provide for us. We lived in a nice home they had bought cheap and fixed up. Most of our stuff came from garage sales, but we didn’t care. Then, I had this dream of being a gymnast. It was my passion—even though I honestly wasn't very good—and my mom didn’t want me to miss out on that. The problem was she couldn’t afford the gymnastics lessons.

So, my mom made a deal with the gymnastics teacher where I could take lessons for free in exchange for her cleaning the building after every class. That’s love, right? Selfless love. She didn’t even tell me until I was an adult. When I found out, it brought tears to my eyes. That kind of giving, sacrificial, and selfless love is the same love that God has for us, only on a much bigger scale. It's also the kind of love we are called to imitate.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:7 about how Jesus made Himself nothing by taking on the nature of a servant. Jesus also tells us in Mark 10 that He did not come to be served but to serve. Serving requires a lot of work. Jesus fed crowds, washed feet, cared for the sick, trained His followers, gave encouragement, and showed people love. He didn’t care about His status and put the needs of others above His own, even sacrificing His life for others.

Doesn’t that sound a little bit like a mom? Moms work multiple jobs, give up their own desires, and sacrifice daily for their kids—often without appreciation. They love their kids simply because they are their children. They are willing to make themselves nothing and give up their own lives. How many times do they eat a cold dinner, stay up late to help their child with a project, or skip buying something for themselves because their child has a need? Moms are the perfect earthly picture of selflessness.

There’s a mother in the Bible like this. She loved her son so much that she was willing to risk her life to save him. When the Pharaoh of Egypt ordered that all baby boys be killed, she hid her son for three months and devised a plan where Pharaoh’s own daughter would find and raise him. She was willing to sacrifice her own emotions and desires for her son just to give him a chance at life.

If you’ve ever been in her shoes, God sees your sacrifice and honors that choice. I know it can be exhausting, but don't give up!