When I was eight, maybe nine, my family was shoe shopping for my aunt's wedding. I was to be the junior bridesmaid and needed white shoes to go with my purple dress. I, of course, was looking at aesthetics while my mom looked at price. We had come down to two pair, one I liked better and one that my mom wanted me to get. We argued -- and then -- I slapped my mom across the face. In Sears. In front of total strangers. I was taken immediately to the car by my dad while my mom and brother stayed in the shoe section. Once I was in the car my dad poured a large glass of ice water on me and left me in the car, screaming, while he went back into the store to retrieve my mom and brother. When they all got back to the car, my mom showed me the shoes she had gotten me - the shoes that I wanted instead of the shoes that were cheaper.
Let's put aside the fact that I was a violent and angry child who bit until she was 10. My mom was humiliated. Anyone who knows my mom knows that she does not embarrass easily, she is the first to laugh at herself rather than getting embarrassed. And here, her 8/9 year old daughter had completely humiliated her in Sears. I can just imagine what that felt like for her. Talking about it since then with my mom, I've been told I learned the wrong lesson. I always felt like the lesson I learned was "if you slap you mom across the face in Sears - you get what you want." What I should have realized is that even when I completely degraded her in public - she still loved me as much as she did before the incident occurred.
It's the same way with God, I think. We daily sin against Him and go against His will - and he loves us no less. In fact He loves, equally, those who have not even had a chance to know Him or hear His name. Unconditionally - regardless of our short-comings.
Facebook statuses are probably one of my favorite things in the world. I love having a brief glimmer into someone's thoughts or day. So much can be said in 100 characters or less. And today, of course, is no different. But some of them do have a common theme: "Nothing is greater than your child's love" says one friend, "Your children are so blessed by your love" says another, "I cannot imagine life without my little ray of sunshine!" says a third. "I have to work all day" says my own mother (but that is beside the point :-))
"How can you love someone so much you just met?" Novalee Nation - Where the Heart is
Mothers I've talked to have said that the moment they held their child in their arms for the first time, everything changed. Instantly they felt like they had someone else in this world to live for and die for. And they fight daily for their children.
God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us. And in the same way 8/9 year old me didn't deserve the pretty shoes, we do not deserve that death on the cross. Jesus "Lived Love" (with big L's) during his time here on Earth. And He didn't stop there. He came back and showed us His wounds and He told us:
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
He loved us enough even then that even after He stopped "living" he still wanted us to believe. He still wanted us to know Him. He was still "Living Love". Even after we slapped Him across the face - he still bought us the prettier shoes.
My mom recently got some news that could put her health in jeopardy. I can't imagine life without her. I think of friends I've had over the years who have lost their mothers too soon. I still remember the phone call from Averill right before senior year of high school"My mom died of a heart attack last night." I was speechless.
Moms are our biggest advocates. They're our best example of what it truly means to "live love"/"Live Love" for and in the world around us.
So in honor of mothers day, hug your mom, if you can. Apologize for all the times you slapped her across the face in Sears. And, most of all, thank her for setting the example of a love that has only been given to you by one other person in the history of mankind.
1 comment:
I forgave you the moment it happened and I can't imagine life without you.
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