Mother’s Day is a time set aside to celebrate the incredible love of mothers—their sacrifices, their wisdom, and their steadfast devotion. But the view from my place today is of an aspect of love that often goes unnoticed and unheralded: the love that says no. The love that protects.
A mother’s love is not just found in the gifts she gives, the hugs she offers, or the encouragement she speaks. It is also in the moments when she withholds—when she says no out of love, knowing her child may not understand. Knowing there will be tears and frustration. Knowing they may even angrily question her heart. Yet, she does not compromise what is best for her child. She sees beyond the moment and chooses instead her child’s highest good. That is power. That is unselfishness. That is love.
And isn’t that the very heart of God?
Though He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, and though He generously blesses us with good gifts, He does not pander to our every request out of concern for what we might say or think about Him. He loves us too much for that. He is motivated by our welfare, not our approval.
So, as we honor mothers, let us honor equally their love that gives and their love that restrains—because both require personal sacrifice.
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