Becoming Mom
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 05/09/2009 at 9:40 PM
In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde quipped, "All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."
At one point in life, I think I feared becoming my mother. But now that I'm older — and realize that I have indeed become like her — I'm glad for the resemblance. In my article "Just Like Mom," I talk about the ways my mom has shaped the person I am today.
[Something] that has stuck with me is my mom's compassion for the loner. In any group, she would see the outsider and draw him in. Whether it meant inviting the single mom to stop by for coffee any time or striking up a conversation with the person standing alone at church or inviting a single to Easter dinner, Mom demonstrated extraordinary sensitivity to the disconnected.
Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families," and my mom embodied this as she invited the lonely into our family. I know that I notice lonely people because of my mom's example. In fact, I believe it is what gave me the courage to take a teenage girl into my home several years ago.
Even an imperfect mother (and they all are) has a tremendous impact on her children.
Some women have had better role models than others when it comes to moms. And I imagine this is where the joke, "Help, I'm becoming my mother!" comes from. Because of their position of (sometimes unwanted) authority in our lives, our moms can become targets of blame. But despite their shortcomings, moms teach us things — at the very least, how to be better mothers.
But perhaps one of their greatest legacies is the unique ways in which they show us God. In Isaiah, God describes Himself as a mother: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (49:15). It is a mother who is the human example of God's unflagging devotion to His people.
Her comfort reflects the tenderness of God. "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem" (66:13).
Because of these God-given attributes, mothers are worthy of honor. Proverbs 31:28 says, "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." Our mothers, more than most people in our lives, have shaped us into the [men and] women we have become.
How has your mother's influence shaped you? Be sure to give her a call and thank her this Mother's Day.
1. Rachael said the following at 11:05 PM on May 9:
She's definitely had spiritual influence on me - perhaps the most out of any one individual who I personally know. I respect how real and tried her faith is to her.
And she's real. She is so friendly and laughs often, but she is not alien to hardships. She knows how to cling to salvation, faith, and Scripture. And she's humble.
She's so amazing.
2. Loris said the following at 7:08 AM on May 11:
Now that I'm an adult, my mom has backed way off on the mother role and we've become good friends. I often wonder if I call her too much, but then I think, "No, I'm just calling a friend."
I cannot emphasize enough how much I admire Mom's wisdom, patience, and quirky good humor. If I turn out to be half the woman she is, that would be beyond my expectations.