Ideally, motherhood, or the memory of our mother, reminds us of where life begins and love never ends. It’s the reason why we celebrate Mother’s Day. We joyfully plan celebrations or try to avoid all the fuss.

But eventually, we see the impact of how we were parented by whoever birthed us or raised us.

My heart carries great clarity. My mom loved us fiercely. She advised us wisely. The way she and our dad sacrificed comes to mind throughout the year. I know my experience falls into the category of the fortunate. But I also know the sudden loss of my mom. Our last phone conversation consisted of her plans to eat a bowl of soup. Hours later, another phone call came. It’s how I found out she died.

Soon after, I made it back home. I was drawn to the kitchen where I grew up. I’d tucked my Bible under my arm like a sacred security blanket. I held it a little tighter as I sat in the chair beneath the phone on the wall. The chair was my mom’s maternal perch. From there, she talked to family, friends, and many souls she left with a smile. As I wondered if I would smile again, these words from Scripture gave me a reason.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless” (Isaiah 40:28-29 ESV).

It was comforting to see how God provides for the “weak” and “powerless.” Those words described me that day. The description stuck with me for a while.

But as bleak as grief can be, hope sits with us in the painful silence. It hovers and hints at the beauty of another day. Hope invites us to see something more than what is lost.

And yet, each day, my mom’s absence is palpable. But God’s Word spoke to my weariness. It still does. As the Creator of all the earth, He is where life begins and love never ends.

Nurture is the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. I hope my son senses God’s nurture through me and my husband. And when we miss the mark, I pray we each experience God’s nurture in how we each need to grow. By now, you’re probably thinking of your own nurturing experiences.

But whatever you feel about your mother, your child, or your desire for a child, the everlasting God carries you. He strengthens us and secures us with His love. So whatever blessings you hold dear, let gratitude lift you. Whatever burdens hold you down, lift them up to God. On Mother’s Day and every day may we know that His nurture never ends.