Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies . . . Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.   (Proverbs 31:10, 28)

A mother’s love is a mere glimpse of God’s sacrificial and unending love for us. It is truly a gift from God, and I am blessed to have been raised by a godly mother who loved me very much and taught me about Jesus.

Walk with me a moment down Memory Lane. Mom married Dad when she was only 15 and had me (the first of six) when she was 17. She and Dad will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in September.

Mom has always been very shy and backward. She doesn’t like being noticed and gets really embarrassed if she is the center of attention, like at the golden wedding anniversary party we threw for her and Dad. She is most comfortable sitting on the back pew at church. Mom has a beautiful voice and would sit in her rocking chair and sing all of her kids to sleep throughout the years, but she wouldn’t dream of getting up in church and singing a “special.”

On the other hand, you could always count on mom to bake cookies for Vacation Bible School or school parties; cook food for a family when someone died; and have the evangelist over for supper. There was an Air Force Base about 15 miles from us, and many times the service men would visit our church. Mom was sympathetic to these young men, knowing they were away from their families. Many times she would invite them home for dinner and the afternoon until time for the evening service. She gave them a home-cooked meal and made them feel like part of the “family.”

Sometimes, moms have to be willing to sacrifice for their children. When I was in the 6th grade, our class was taking a trip to Chicago, and I was so excited. Mom stayed up until late in the night sewing me a new dress for my trip—that was back when girls had to wear dresses to school. Mom even made my wedding gown, and I didn’t pick out a simple pattern, either. It had tiers of lace, plus intricate sequins and beadwork.

Then came the day when I got the disease, guillian barre, and couldn’t walk or take care of myself. Being a mom, myself, I can only imagine how she felt seeing me like that. It doesn’t matter how old your kids are, moms hurt when their kids hurt, especially when they’re helpless to make it all better.

I didn’t have anyone else to take care of me while my husband worked, and mom came over every day. Not only did she take care of me, but she also cleaned house, did the laundry, cooked, and took care of my three kids when they came home from school. That was truly a sacrifice of love, because then, she had to go home and do it all over again there.

I appreciate her and thank God for a special mom who’s been there for me when I needed her most. She’s a mom who taught by example—such as praying and reading her Bible every day. Yes, we’ve had our differences, just like most mothers and daughters do at times, but she has always loved me and taught me how to be a respectable wife and woman of God.

Motherhood is a big responsibility. Words can’t describe the love you feel looking down and seeing your tiny newborn baby for the first time and holding that child close in your arms. You want only the best life possible for them.

How disappointing it is when you discover that you can’t always give them the best! How frustrating it is when, sometimes, you don’t know what really is best for them! My three children are all so different from each other that what I thought was best for one of them wasn’t necessarily best for the other two.

How helpless you feel when you realize that you can’t always protect your children from being hurt! In fact, there may even be times when you, yourself, make mistakes and inadvertently hurt them, and you wonder how you can ever make it right again. How heartbreaking it is when you see your children make mistakes that can affect them for the rest of their lives, and you can’t do anything about it.

These are the times when you have to humble yourself before God and admit your inabilities and failures. It’s during these times that you must give your children to God and trust Him with them.

Years ago, God spoke to me and said, “You know how much you love your children. . . I love them much more than you do.” When I understood that God loved my kids a lot more than I did, I was free to release them into His care. I knew He could do a much better job with them than I could. I’m only human, and my wisdom is foolishness in His eyes. God has a personalized plan for each of our five children, and I’m believing that his perfect plan will be fulfilled in each one of them. He can do what I can’t, and His unconditional, unending love will never leave or forsake them.

Vicki