I didn’t realize how much Ellie was looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day until she came running into the room and announced, “Mommy! Sunday is Mother’s Day! That means we get to celebrate you! Daddies go to work and make money, but mothers take care of you every day of your life!”
Excitedly, Ellie told me about all her plans, which she repeated several times in subsequent days, for making my day special. She was going to buy me “a bunch” of pink roses. She would let me stay in bed all day and bring me breakfast in bed. She and my other children would be extra-nice to me, because “that’s what kids should do on Mother’s Day”. (I even heard her instructing the other kids in this principle.)
Her excitement at celebrating me as her mother touched a place deep in my heart. Due to her completely sincere, heartfelt offerings, I will remember her words forever…even though things didn’t work out quite the way she had planned.
On Mother’s Day, I woke up while (so I thought) no one else in the house was yet awake. But soon, I heard little feet coming my way, and Jessica walked in, sleepily squinting her eyes, and asking to nurse. So I tended to Jessica’s needs. Soon, Kenny woke up, and I helped him with breakfast.
When my husband got up, we began getting everyone ready for church. Lindsey and Ellie still weren’t up, so we had to wake them up. I thought Ellie might be disappointed that all her plans for me hadn’t worked out. As it turned out, she wasn’t.
In fact, she didn’t even mention the gone-by-the-wayside plans. I considered whether or not I should feel hurt that she had forgotten, but I decided not to. After all, I knew her intentions had been good. Her failure to remember and implement the wonderful plans she had come up with was nothing more than the forgetfulness of a seven-year-old. It didn’t reflect any lack of love for me on her part.
I wonder how God feels when you and I forget to follow through on our intentions towards Him.
We promise ourselves, and Him, that we will spend regular time in prayer or Bible study, and then days go by without our following through. Or we tell Him we’ll serve a brother or sister in a particular way, then never get around to doing it.
I bet God gets disappointed, just like I was when Ellie forgot to carry out the plans she’d promised. God loves spending time with us, and He enjoys it when we do things for Him. So when we fail to do either one, we deprive Him of the relationship or enjoyment He longs to experience. We deprive ourselves, too.
Father, forgive us for all the times we could have spent time with you, and didn’t, and for everything we promised You we would do, then didn’t even remember. Renew us so that our relationship with You is first and foremost in our thoughts and mind, above anything else. Lord, we want to spend time with You because we love You. And we’re so very grateful that You desire to spend time with us.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Psalm 116:18-19—I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD—in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.