I wish you could meet my mom. There’s no woman I admire more than her. She’s fun, spazzy and serious about the time she spends with God. She has a gorgeous smile, a great laugh and dark, inky-blue eyes. On Saturdays we have lunch at our favorite Italian place. We both have a thing for used bookstores, fresh flowers and a certain brand of mascara, the one with the tube that wipes off all the gunk before you actually put it on. And recently my mom taught me something else I thought you might need to hear today: what unconditional love looks like at its best.
Stormy Hearts, Stormy Skies
I’ve decided the weight of a mistake never feels heavier than when I’m trying to sleep at night. Sometimes it’s just an uncomfortable heavy . . . as if I ate way too much at a restaurant. Other times it’s like my comforter is made of concrete, like my mind is a surround-sound theater that keeps playing the words I shouldn’t have said or the moment I talked myself into doing something I knew I shouldn’t have done.
It was a night like that, when all the thoughts in my head seemed as loud as the thundering skies over the house. Luckily, I was staying at my parents’ house that night. A little after 6 a.m., I heard the clink of coffee cups in the kitchen and decided to get up and talk to my mom.
I watched creamer swirl into the dark cup while I stumbled over words. I didn’t even look up until I stopped talking. When I finally looked up, I realized another one of the million things I love about her: There’s nothing judgmental about the way she loves me.
We talked and drank coffee together for a while, and then my mom, who has her time with God around the unsightly hour of 6 a.m., asked if I wanted to join her prayer time. In my groggy morning fog with my hair looking like a Koosh ball, I agreed.
Circles of Discipleship
That morning, we were on our knees side by side in the dark, quiet living room with only the light of a leftover moon coming through the windows. My mom talked to God with an uncanny reverence and love. There was a sweetness mingled with her respect, and I listened as she prayed for me, my brother, my sister and my dad in serious detail. Everything I had ranted about for weeks, my mom was lifting up in prayer. She prayed for our friends and our church, her boss, her co-workers, missionaries and people I don’t know.
And she praised God for an attribute of His character that started with every letter of the alphabet (I was anxious to hear how she would tackle X or Z, but she did it!). It didn’t take a genius, or even a morning person, to see my mom genuinely loves meeting with God. And she genuinely and unconditionally loves me. Accountability and transparency with another person can replace a constant freaked-out feeling with complete peace.
It’s a Girl Thing
When I prayed about what to write about this spring, all I could think of was praying with my mom that morning. I hope you have someone in your life like that, too. If there’s something happening in your world, or something that has happened that makes your heart feel like a brick inside your chest when you try to sleep at night, it’s good to talk through those issues.
James 5:16 tells us we should be confessing our sins to one another and praying for each other. In Titus 2, Paul talks about how important it is for women to mentor other women. I’ve been blessed by some wonderful women who pour love into my life on a regular basis.
Not only is it great to have a circle of mentors I can be candid with, but it’s helped me understand the beauty of discipleship’s circle: The more you grow, the more you should be intentional about pouring love into other people’s lives.
It’s wonderful to realize you aren’t alone in this season of your life. Sometimes just knowing someone else has been there and made it through gives you the little push you need to keep moving.
From Us to You
For what it’s worth, Mom and I both pray for you, too. Sometimes I get prayer requests from Brio sisses and share them with my mom. We pray for the ways you’re growing, the decisions you’re making and your relationships. We’re always thanking God for you and the way you’re turning the world upside down with His love.
In fact, if I were thanking God for His character A to Z today, I’d go totally unoriginal and thank Him for His love; love that’s brighter and more beautiful than spring days and more peaceful than April showers. I’d thank Him for that perfect, unconditional love that offers new starts and forgiveness and peaceful sleep when my mind is restless. I’m so glad I can see that love in my mom and dad.
Everybody tells me I have my mom’s eyes and her humor, and I can’t think of a sweeter compliment than knowing I’m a little bit like her. I hope the similarities are deeper though. I really hope I’m developing the same kind of relationship she has with her Creator. And I hope I can make someone else feel as safe and loved as she always makes me feel.
