It’s that time of year when everywhere you look; there are reminders of motherhood and the upcoming day of celebration. Stores, restaurants, television, social media…it is inescapable.

While many of us have been blessed with wonderful mothers and loving children, I am mindful that there are many who are just holding on, trying to get through another Mother’s Day. Some are saddened because their mothers have passed away, while others grieve what they missed by having a less than ideal relationship with their mother.

In some congregations, mothers are asked to stand or be recognized. But there are those sitting in the pews who would give anything to have children, yet face infertility or miscarriages. Still others are hoping to find a Godly husband, while painfully aware that their biological clock is ticking.

There are those mothers who sit alone because they have lost a child, whether to death or to sin. Seeing loving families sitting together at church is a painful reminder of the loss of a beloved child.

While Mother’s Day is an American holiday that is just over one hundred years old, I cannot help but think of Bible mothers for whom this day would have been difficult.

Consider:

1. Mary & Martha. While we are not told that they desired to have a husband or children, these two women were apparently single sisters living together with their brother Lazarus. Especially living in the society that they did, it is highly probable that they longed for husbands and children (Luke 10:38-42, John 11).
2. Hannah. Though eventually the mother of the prophet Samuel, how painful it was to want a child so badly, yet have infertility issues. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she endured continual provoking and berating for years by Peninnah for her infertility (1 Samuel 5-7).
3. Hagar. A slave and servant to Abraham’s wife Sarah, Hagar became a single mother after giving birth to Abraham’s child, Ishmael. Because of her position, she always came in second place to Sarah. I have to wonder if she didn’t look at the relationship between Abraham and Sarah and long for the same love and family, yet was the outcast as a single mother (Genesis 3, 21:14).
4. Jochabed. The mother of Moses loved her baby enough to selflessly give him up for adoption so that another woman could protect and care for him. Her determination and ingenuity saved his life and he in turn saved the lives of God’s people (Exodus 2:2-10, 6:20).
5. Eve, Mrs. Job, and Mary. In the natural order of life, parents are supposed to die first, but what all these women had in common was that they outlived their children. Eve was the first mother to ever lose a child to death. Mrs. Job lost 10 children all in the same day. Mary watched her son be murdered before her eyes. Motherhood would never be the same for these women (Genesis 4:8, Job 1:18-19, John 19:26-27).
6. Mrs. Manoah. This faithful woman, who had experienced infertility, was later blessed by the Lord with her son Samson. Though she and her husband tried to raise their child as the Lord had told them, he was influenced more by the world and his own passions more than his parents. As much as Mrs. Manoah loved her son, it must have grieved her heart to see him as an adult turning away from the Lord’s commands, ultimately leading to his own destruction (Judges 13-16).

If you find yourself in less than ideal circumstances this Mother’s Day, remember that you are not alone. For many women, this holiday serves as a painful reminder of loss, yet also reminds us of opportunities. There are many children in need of a Godly mother figure in their life. By teaching Bible classes, hosting youth events, summer camp counseling, mentoring, and befriending children, you can influence and make a difference in the life of a child. On the flip side, there are many older women who would love to have a younger woman take an interest and befriend them. Serving, visiting, and spending time with an older woman can give us the mother figure that we may long for when we no longer have our own mother.

Being a mother or a daughter goes far beyond having physical family, it includes being a part of God’s family which is the greatest blessing of all!