One of the most challenging and rewarding callings is motherhood. Mothers are the most influential people. We often refer to God as father, but God is also mother. God brought forth creation. God birthed humanity. God is nurturing just like a mother. Sometimes being a mother is a thankless job. Children often take their mothers for granted.

It is important that we show appreciation for our mothers, because at the end of the day, Mom, most likely, we will be the last one standing. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us focus on encouraging mothers, women who have nurtured us and been involved in our lives. Being a mother is a calling. There are mothers who have never birthed a child, but they are mothers in every sense of the word. They are women who have taken girls and boys under their wing, and provided them with love, protection, and comfort that can only come from a mother. These women are aunts, stepmothers, best friends, mentors, and those ladies in the church who make sure that we are dressed appropriately and not chewing gum during service. They are mothers. Let us celebrate them.

We all know the story of the proverbial mother in Proverbs 31. There are many women who are exactly like this virtuous woman, described by the writer as far precious than rubies. They hold jobs as lawyers, ministers, custodians, college presidents, waitresses, chefs, social workers, police officers, stay-at-home moms, and in other types of employment. What drives the mother is her love for her children and family.

Sometimes, we as mothers, can lose focus in these areas. We can begin thinking that we need more, but that is just the enemy talking us out of the divine calling has making us mothers. Unfortunately, there are many women who have fallen off the track. They have made other choices with their children that have resulted in harm to their children. This is why it takes more than instinct to be a mother.

It takes God’s grace to stay on task with everything required of a mom. What is missing in the virtuous woman’s description are the other roles performed by her. As a mother, I find myself being a doctor, an attorney, an advocate, a disciplinarian, a trashcan, an unpaid Uber, a college counselor, a fashion police, and a friend. God’s grace and guidance enables us to transform into all of these roles. Sometimes, we are not equipped to handle everything.

We don’t always get it right, but through grace and mercy, our times of being right outweigh the mistakes, and we make it through with the grace of God. The reward is found in these words: “Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her,” Proverbs 28.

Let us celebrate mothers. The women have made a difference in our lives. Children celebrate. Men celebrate. If more men would celebrate women, their existence, their strength, and their worth, the world would be a better place. When we celebrate women, we celebrate grace and unconditional love. We celebrate God, and what God has done throughout creation. Let us celebrate mothers!