Thursday, August 28, 2014

A Mother's Love Can Lead To Miracles

When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no more wine."
"Dear Woman, why do you involve me?"  Jesus replied.  "My time has not yet come."  
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."     John 2:3-5


     A mother's love can be so powerful!  Sure, we all make mistakes with our kids, and we worry that those mistakes will have a lasting effect.  But our children are human beings, being raised by human mothers.  Making mistakes is part of the package.  It's what keeps us humble; it's what keeps us real.
     But every now and then we should take stock of what we do right, how we surpass our own humanness.  We may never be the mother that Mary was to Jesus, but the depth of our love for our kids can mirror hers in some ways.  More importantly, believing in our children, like Mary believed in Jesus, and acting on that belief, can move us into the realm of the angels. 
     In this Scripture passage, Mary was the intercessor, the instigator for Jesus' first miracle ever.  She knew that the bride and groom would be embarrassed that the wine was all gone.  It takes a mother to see a problem approaching before it happens.  It takes a mother's vision to see how to solve a problem before it becomes an issue.  Mothers also recognize their own children's gifts, even if no else knows about them yet. 
     What impacts me most in this passage, and what speaks to the area where I need the most work, is that Mary inspired Jesus through her role as mother, then stepped back, not micro-managing how Jesus was supposed to solve the problem.  She created the platform for His miracle, and then stepped aside.
         Don't we all do this on a daily basis?  We help our kids with their projects, get them ready for their recitals, drive them to sports practices, feed them healthy meals to nourish their minds and bodies.  We guide and teach them constantly about right and wrong, responsibility, compassion, hard work, cooperation, respect, and all the other character traits that make them amazing people.  We identify their gifts and talents, and then nurture them, so they can grow into fruition.  But most of all, we pray to God for His help and guidance through it all; we intercede on behalf of our children.  Then we step aside and let our kids get the praise for a project well done, for a dance well danced, for being kind and loving people with wonderful skills and talents.
     As we swell with pride, they swell with self-esteem.  As they move through life with confidence and success, people put their faith in them, are drawn to them and to the light that they radiate.  As we step into the shadows, and they into that light, we can do so knowing that it was our "mother's love," combined with God's grace, that set the stage, that did all the behind-the-scenes work, so that our children can go on to live out the gifts that they have been given, touching lives, performing miracles in their own ways.

Witnessing A Mother's Miracle Making Love in Action

     I have a friend Jeanne who has two teenage daughters.  Her girls had a vision of creating "Princess Camp," a week long endeavor where they would teach little girls virtues through the lives of the Saints and Disney Princesses.  Jeanne believed in her daughters whole-heartedly.  But more importantly, she acted on that belief, giving up two whole precious weeks this summer to support her daughters as they ran back-to-back camps, in two different parishes.  She also invested countless other hours overseeing the planning and prep segments of the camp.  Being a volunteer for one of those weeks, I witnessed first hand how Jeanne was present through it all, but always behind the scenes, always a support, always doing whatever it took to set the stage for her girls to shine.  
     On the final day of Princess Camp, the little girls processed down the isle, one by one, to the front of the church hall.  Family and friends looked on as each girl was honored for the virtue she had demonstrated throughout the week.  Then each girl was given a wand and a tiara as she was crowned a "Princess of God."  
     One little girl had Cerebral Palsy, with plaster casts on both legs.  Despite those casts, this little girl was so excited to be crowned a Princess of God that she literally skipped down the isle to her coronation.  As she turned to face the audience, a smile beaming from ear to ear, I knew I was present to a miracle that all began with one mother's love. 

2 comments:

  1. What a great article, Claire! Your friend Jeanne must be so proud of her daughters! What a fun and creative Princess Camp for God! I am touched by the story of the little girl with cerebral palsy so happy to get her tiara as a Princess of God. My blogger friend Betsy keeps a tiara on the windowsill in her kitchen so that when she does mundane chores, she is always reminded that she is a daughter of the King.
    On a different note, your son must be quite the athlete with all those trophies! I noticed the martial arts (Taekwondo?) belts displayed. Taekwondo is my favorite kid's sport because of the tenets they teach.

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  2. Thanks so much for your comments Deborah! I LOVE the tiara on the windowsill idea. I think I'm going to break into my daughter's dress-up box and steal a tiara to do the same! :)

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