Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of
Pearl Mother’s Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms
and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writer’s (Tricia
Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth,
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique
perspective on Mother’s Day.
AND … do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl
necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS
LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on
5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info
and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing
a copy of Pearl Girls:
Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother’s Day!
I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day.
On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made a difference in my life
(thanks, Mom!).
On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my heart with some tender places.
On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For many, it’s a time of
appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the most difficult days of the year. This
is often true for women facing infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss
of a mother, and many other painful situations.
At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take another step. In addition to
infertility, I was facing several other losses. I felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I
sensed the Lord gently and lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you
still have a choice. You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I
decided I was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden
blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope made a
difference.
As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth finger of my left hand
represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the fourth finger of my right hand
is a simple silver band inscribed with the word “hope” and it represents the commitment I
have made to God and myself to hold onto hope no matter what happens.
The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me to hold onto hope. She
endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited seventeen years before adopting a little
girl. She told me, “I think one of the most important parts of this journey is learning to
trust God. I don’t mean the flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just
need to trust God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is
trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have chosen
this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every step was worth it.”
I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t know how yours will
either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently grieving your losses as we sit
in church together on May 8th. But I do know that God sees each one of us. He knows
how many hairs are on our heads and how many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re
going through this Mother’s Day, you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who
experienced many losses in his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close
to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you
with love, fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this
Mother’s Day.
Excerpted from When Mother’s Day is Difficult.
Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a cofounder of the popular
web site (in)courage, and licensed counselor. Holley
loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting with the hearts of women through words.
Her next book, a devotional titled God’s Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as
a Woman (Harvest House) will release this July. You can find Holley online through her
blog Heart to Heart with Holley.