Perhaps Not Your Typical Mother's Day Thoughts

Since I became a mother almost three years ago, there has been one general topic that my mind shuts down over. That one topic is suffering children. In whatever capacity that children suffer, from abortion to starvation, from neglect to outright abuse/murder, my heart breaks over these issues. And I mean it. I get this terrible feeling in my stomach and I breath real fast while thinking about the issue. I simply can no longer dwell on the topic. The stories that have entered my realm through the radio newshour or reading online and other mediums bother me for days. When I think about what we as humans do to our children, I am reminded of the passage in Jeremiah 32:35 where God talks about the sin of the Israelites.

"They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin."

God considered the sin of the Israelites so terrible that He says it was foreign to His thoughts. It would be like us saying, "It never occured to me that..." or I never dreamed...". God actually had told the Israelites in Levicitus 18:21, " Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.". So although God had commanded them in advance not to sacrfice their children, the wickedness of the Israelites was so great that they in fact did commit the "unthinkable".
Are we any different? As Christians we should be. Our treatment of our children should distinguish us from the non-Christians around us. God's rules to the Israelites were intended to set them apart from the heathen nations around them. Ditto that for today's believers as well.
This Sunday is Mother's Day, but really it's a day about children. After all, that's what distinguishes some women from all women. With rampant on-demand abortions, disjointed families, overflowing daycares and all manner of unspeakable violent crimes against children, the fires of Molech are all around us.
I started reading a book last night that a cousin from the states sent up for me to read. She went throught it with a women's study group and thought I would benefit from it as well. It's called A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming. I'm only 36 pages in but one of the things that has convicted me so far is the idea of being kinder to our children. For me, when I'm looking for obedience, I tend to be short with my patience rope. Working at being kind, even when dealing with disobedience is a tall, but necessary order. Abusive reactions, whatever their form, are not unattainable sins for any of us. I know that certain times with my son have been appalling when I look back over his short life. I have cried out for forgiveness for my anger and have no illusions about the future. But in claiming God's grace and mercy to me, I am humbled in my prayers. Mothers are important, but Christian mothers operating under the wideness of God's daily grace are vital.
There will doubtless be more news stories that I cannot handle, but only by God's grace will I not be one of them.