Mother's Day thoughts

I recently heard yet another commercial pushing Mother’s Day gifts.  It talked about moms being the “glue that holds the family together.”  That “glue” comment really got me thinking: “that’s all well and good for families where a mom is present and she’s doing, humanly speaking, a ‘good job,’ but what about everyone else?” What about kids who don’t have moms or whose mom just wasn’t up to the task of parenting? (Just look at the thousands of kids in foster care or up for adoption.) Are they doomed to be unhinged because there was no glue in their family?  Such a huge emphasis on Mother’s Day can really roll a stone on the hearts of everyone in that position or who has lost a parent early. And ultimately, where is God in all this celebration?  Should the buck stop with mom or should we maybe give thanks to God for all blessings?  Anyone meeting Jesus in person today would think, “Wow, what a cool dude!  What amazing powers!  Look at what he can do and is doing for all those people!”  But Jesus took none of the credit for himself.  He told a man, “Why callest thou me good?  There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Matt 19)  Jesus had an impact like no other on humanity, but he gave all the credit to God.  Likewise, unless we start seeing God as the source of all good – not mom or dad or some other family member – having an imperfect parent or losing a parent can have a devastating, permanent impact.  This is not intended to demean or diminish the role of parents, but more to shine a light on the danger of having our identity our security our sense of love, riding on an individual person or on a human sense of family – that’s a pretty precarious position!  It also puts a huge burden on the individual.