Welcome to Pearl Girls Mother of Pearl Suzanne Woods Fisher ,
Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope
you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a
beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK
THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the
winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit
www.pearlgirls.info and see
what they're all about. They exist to support the work of charities that
help women and children in the US
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth
I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed
feelings about Mother’s Day.
On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made
a difference in my life (thanks, Mom!).
On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my
heart with some tender places.
On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For
many, it’s a time of appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the
most difficult days of the year. This is often true for women facing
infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss of a mother, and
many other painful situations.
At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take
another step. In addition to infertility, I was facing several other losses. I
felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I sensed the Lord gently and
lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you still have a choice.
You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I decided I
was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden
blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope
made a difference.
As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth
finger of my left hand represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the
fourth finger of my right hand is a simple silver band inscribed with the word
“hope” and it represents the commitment I have made to God and myself to hold
onto hope no matter what happens.
The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me
to hold onto hope. She endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited
seventeen years before adopting a little girl. She told me, “I think one of the
most important parts of this journey is learning to trust God. I don’t mean the
flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just need to trust
God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is
trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have
chosen this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every
step was worth it.”
I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t
know how yours will either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently
grieving your losses as we sit in church together on May 8th. But I do know
that God sees each one of us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and how
many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re going through this Mother’s Day,
you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who experienced many losses in
his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you with love,
fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this
Mother’s Day.
Excerpted from When
Mother’s Day is Difficult.
Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a
cofounder of the popular web site (in)courage,
and licensed counselor. Holley loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting
with the hearts of women through words. Her next book, a devotional titled
God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman (Harvest House) will
release this July. You can find Holley online through her blog Heart to Heart with Holley.
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