This Mother’s Day, honor moms without alienating others by acknowledging the wide continuum of mothering; help all women feel welcome, appreciated, seen and needed within the body of Christ. During your service, try these words:
♥ To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you.
♥ To those who lost a child this year—we mourn with you.
♥ To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains—we appreciate you.
♥ To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions or running away—we mourn with you.
♥ To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears and disappointment—we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make things harder.
♥ To those who are foster moms, mentor moms and spiritual moms—we need you.
♥ To those who have warm and close relationships with your children—we celebrate with you.
♥ To those who have disappointment, heartache and distance with your children—we sit with you.
♥ To those who lost their mothers this year—we grieve with you.
♥ To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother—we acknowledge your experience.
♥ To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests and the overall testing of motherhood—we are better for having you in our midst.
♥ To those who have aborted children—we remember them and you on this day.
♥ To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children—we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be.
♥ To those who stepparent—we walk with you on these complex paths.
♥ To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren, yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you.
♥ To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year—we grieve and rejoice with you.
♥ To those who placed children for adoption—we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart.
♥ And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising—we anticipate with you.
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
TRY THIS
DON’T ASK THEM TO STAND
Acknowledge the moms in your congregation without asking them to stand. Does the woman who had a miscarriage stand? Does the mom whose children ran away stand? Does the single woman who is pregnant stand? You mean well, but it can create awkward situations for many.
