Posted: Saturday, May 10, 2014 6:00 am BY BRUCE EDWARD WILSON Contributing columnist (Every year on Mother’s Day I offer this prayer on Sunday morning at West Main, as I will tomorrow. I have never shared it before in the paper, but I do so today, mostly because my heart goes out to the many parents and children who are seeking the comfort of grace today. Perhaps in this simple prayer they will know they are not alone.) Gracious God, today is Mother’s Day and we think of how we have been blessed by our mothers. Many of us have been blessed by our mothers in ways that stir deep emotion and loyalty and today we give overwhelming thanks for a strong mother’s love. But God, I also think that today is a tough day for many women. Mother’s Day does not bring thoughts of solace and joy, but troubles the heart. God, please hear my prayer for women who are having a hard time as mothers. I pray for the mothers who are estranged from their children, who don’t know where their children are, whose children will not speak to them. I pray for mothers whose children have hurt them and disappointed them and used them. I pray for the mothers who have given so much and their love is threadbare and tired. I pray for the mothers who are trying to do it alone because their husbands have left them or their husbands don’t care. I pray for mothers who realize too late they messed up as mothers and the guilt is overwhelming and they wish they could go back and fix things, but they don’t know how. Everyday they look for an open door. God, I pray for mothers who have buried their children. I think of the mothers of children who have been senselessly killed. What a grief these mothers must carry, what a burden of sorrow. I think of the mothers of soldiers who have fallen this year in war. Mothers who have lost their children to starvation, to storms and floods, to violence in the street, to disease. In your mercy, comfort them today. There are other women, God, for whom I pray. I pray for the many women who want to be mothers, but cannot and on this day they feel awkward. May they know you are with them, Lord. And God, I pray also for those children here today whose mothers have died and they miss their mothers so much. I pray for those whose mothers are sick or far away. I pray for those whose mothers abandoned them, ran off and left them. I pray for those who would give anything to see their mother, but instead feel an emptiness today. I pray for those children whose mothers were not good mothers, but who were distant or selfish or hateful, who were so preoccupied with their own problems and their own desires that they had no room left for their children. I wish the world were not like this God, but I know it is and that there are children in this room who ache today when they think of their mothers. They do not have happy thoughts; they have sad thoughts. Be with these today, Lord. Comfort them in your love. Loving God, being a parent is joyous, yes, but it is also challenging. Help the mothers in this room, and the fathers, too. We need your help, we really do. Strengthen us today and tomorrow and every day. In the tender kindness of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 13:46:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015