Two weeks ago we celebrated Mother’s Day, and rightfully so. Though it’s more of a “Hallmark Holiday” than an actual part of the “Church Calendar,” the Bible tells us we are to give honor to whom honor is due. I remember enjoying this holiday as a child where I got to honor “Ma” with something handmade and the fact that it was actually the one day of the year that dad actually went to church was a bonus! I grew up in a church that, when it came to Mother’s Day, all the hearts and flowers got given out and motherhood was talked about in glowing fashion.

But, unfortunately, there were some things, I believe, that the leaders of my childhood church hadn’t really thought through. And that is that Mother’s Day can be one of the hardest days to attend church for a woman (or a man). For all the mothers that were encouraging and supportive and kind and nurturing, there were a number (if we are honest) that were so locked into their own addictions and personal pains that good parenting escaped them.

And we sometimes forget that there are folks who can’t wave the banner of a wonderful mother, and it can be painful when we don’t acknowledge their possible reality. And just the word or title “mother” can bring a host of crushing emotions on those who are dealing with infertility or the death of a child through accident or illness or miscarriage or a past abortion. And if we don’t acknowledge the difficulty that they’re going through, we may (unknowingly).