“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.” -Luke 6:27-31

This Mother’s Day, I think all women who have been attempting to keep their household in order, feed their family incessantly, complete useful work, and homeschool their children need a giant THANK YOU!!!  In moments of exhaustion, anxiety, and overwhelm, I remind myself, “This is what you wanted… you prayed for decades for this…” except, it wasn’t.  THIS is NOT what I expected.  Perhaps that is what life is all about.  Our anticipation and expectations are not what we receive and so we choose to make the best of it.

My family bought rose bushes for my Mother’s Day gift.  They hopefully will bring beauty and joy to a place in the yard filled with gravel and quite frankly, looks rather depressing.  I also think it is a perfect metaphor for motherhood.  Roses: sometimes fragrant, precious, and beautiful… and other times the thorns make you bleed and are a lot of work.  As we attempt to keep our children occupied, educated, clean and fed, and also complete meaningful work it is a challenge to keep our spiritual lives healthy as well.

This passage from Luke 6, part of the Sermon on the Mount, sounds a lot like mom rules: Be nice, share your stuff, don’t fight, and treat people the way you want to be treated.  It isn’t easy to get along in life, whether with your siblings, your family, your co-workers or even your enemies.  But God desires that we treat others with kindness, love and generosity.  The whole world can change if we simply care about the people around us.  That is why we continue to hold online worship services and practice safe social distancing: to treat people with respect and love.

I am thankful for each and every one of you.  You continue to care for the people around you.  You continue to pray for one another.  You feed and bless each other.  You lift me up with encouraging words and actions.  Thank you for being spiritual mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, beloved and blessed children to each other.  That is what being the family of God is all about.

Lord, thank you for this precious Family of God at Kennewick First Presbyterian Church.  Thank you that we can stay connected while we are apart.  Give us opportunities to reach one another in love.  Give us comfort in times of frustration and keep us from becoming discouraged.  Help us to treat people the way we want to be treated.  Amen.

In Christ,
Pastor Hanna Peterson Shearer