Gracefully Seen

I will be honest with you, recently I wondered what Mother’s Day was going to be like this year.  Mother’s Day can be a hard day for some people.  It is not always a happy day for sons and daughters who have lost their mothers, women who want to be mothers, mothers who have lost children, or mothers who have children that are separated from them, and the list goes on.  For me Mother’s Day could have been a hard day due to the failed adoption.  The anticipation of thinking I would be a mother and even feeling like a mother in my heart and then having all those hopes and dreams come crashing down is not an easy thing.  However, by the grace of God, when Mother’s Day came today I did not find myself wallowing in self-pity but rejoicing in the mother God has given me.   

I think sometimes it can be hard for women who have miscarried or lost a child because although they know they are a mom, others may not recognize that.  I will be honest with you, this morning I knew people wouldn’t see me as a mom, and rightfully so.  However this morning when I got up I had a desire in my heart for someone to recognize that this day might be important to me.

A friend of mine spoke at church today in honor of Mother’s Day and her teaching was a very timely message that spoke to my heart.  I thought I would share a snippet of the message with you.

The message was entitled “Jesus Restores Your Life”

The teaching was based on Luke 7:11-17 which says:

¹¹ Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. ¹² Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” ¹⁵ The  dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” ¹⁷ This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.  (NASB)

The four points of her message were the following: 

1) Jesus sees you. 

2) Jesus’ heart goes out to you. 

3) Jesus comforts you. 

4) Jesus restores your life.  

She pointed out how the mother was the center of this passage. 

This message encouraged me, showing me that Jesus sees me and that He will restore my life.  If you are hurting and feel like your life has fallen apart around you, remember that Jesus sees you and wants to restore your life.  Fix your eyes on Jesus and keep running with endurance. 

Later in the morning another friend came up to me after church and asked me how I was doing and if this was a hard day for me.  The fact that this friend recognized that this day may be hard for me and was willing to listen to the Spirit’s prompting to ask me about it encouraged me.  God showed me by the message that He sees me but then He also used one of His children to be His hands and feet and physically show me that He sees me by her reaching out to me and asking me how I was doing.  It is so hard for me to believe sometimes that Jesus sees ME.  It is easier to believe that Jesus sees everyone else but sometimes it is harder to believe that He specifically sees me.  Sometimes we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to speak truth to us.  So if you feel like you are being lost in the crowd, know that Jesus specifically sees you and wants to restore your life.

I leave you with this song that God brought to my mind this afternoon that goes along so well with the message today.

To all the hurting mothers who feel unseen, unrecognized, and lost in the crowd: Happy Mother's Day!  Remember He sees us and He will restore us!

Kristin