When I was kid, I used to write Mother’s Day cards that said something like: "I love my mommy because she takes care of me," or, "I love my momma because she makes me dinner and takes me to Barnes and Noble."
And while these were great qualities for a seven year old to appreciate, I’m 19 now and I love my mom for many different reasons.
I love her for how she prays for me every day.
I love her for always knowing the right scriptures to help me get through a situation.
I love her for pushing me to dream big, for never failing to believe that I can and will do great things with my life.
And I love her for doing one of the most painful things that’s ever been done to me—I love her for leaving—for making a decision to leave the Southern California home we’d lived in for thirteen years to go serve a struggling church in Japan. I love her for leaving me in the midst of the hardest transition in my life yet—college, because she did it because God was calling her to, and there’s no greater way to live life. There were so many voices pushing and pulling her and my dad, but she listened to God’s.
Last summer we packed up our house and my mom and dad traveled across the Pacific Ocean with my three and nine year old siblings to start rebuilding the church in Fukuoka, Japan which had exactly two disciples in it. It’s hard to describe how proud I am of my mom, because, despite how much I miss her, her example is something that inspires me and encourages me in knowing that I can do great things for God too in spite of my fears. She is an amazing woman of faith and of prayer who has been following Jesus for twenty years.
I couldn’t ask God for a more loving, faithful, and passionate mom and I know that He will bless her obedience in helping the Fukuoka Church grow. So Happy Mother’s Day to the beautiful woman I call my momma! I owe you so much more than my life and I pray blessings over you and our family this Mother’s Day. Thank you for being my best friend and Skype correspondent. You are truly the best mom in the world and I love you with all my heart.
