Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Time for breakfast in bed, flowers, and gifts. Time for artwork with your child’s handprint, carefully printed cards saying “You’re the greatest”, and everybody’s best behavior.
Today is the day after Mother’s Day. Time for…well, for the same ol’, same ol’. No breakfast in bed. No gifts. No special treatment. Everything’s back to normal.
Which means that you probably won’t get as many expressions of appreciation as you do on Mother’s Day itself. You probably won’t get the same pampering. You’ll get the same thing you get 364 days of the year—whatever that looks like at your house.
Getting back to normal can be a bit of a let-down.
That’s because inside of each mom is a longing to feel valued and appreciated. Often, this longing is pretty well satisfied on Mother’s Day. But the other 364 days per year? Not so much.
It’s normal and natural to desire to feel appreciated. It’s a part of being human that God purposely crafted into us. But often, it goes unfulfilled.
Why? Because we’re looking to the wrong people.
Yes, our husband (if we’re married) should show us appreciation. But he may not completely understand what we need. Besides, he has his own appreciation cup that needs filling.
Yes, our children should show appreciation to us. But they can’t fully grasp the magnitude of what we do for them, so they don’t fully appreciate us. (And that’s fine; they’re children!)
Friends, family, and society won’t fully appreciate us either. They all have their own appreciation cups to fill.
So what do we do with this God-given need that the people around us can’t totally meet?
We bring it to Him. Every time we long for more appreciation, instead of trying to force those around us to give it to us, we go to God. He is always ready and willing to pour His appreciation into our souls, and He knows how to do it way better than any human being possibly could.
So when Mother’s Day turns into “Regular, Ordinary Monday”, remember this: you are still appreciated. True, you might not get as many tangible expressions of appreciation from your family. But there is One who longs to pour into your spirit all those intangibles that are so much more fulfilling than what we demand from others anyway.
Why not take Him up on His offer?
Psalm 62:8—Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.