Last weekend was Mothers Day – always a holiday filled with a range of emotions. As an adoption agency in Michigan, we’re constantly encountering those emotions related to: an unplanned pregnancy; making an adoption plan for baby; infertility; wanting to grow my family by adoption; etc.
Our pastor read a version of the prayer below in church; I think it captures a lot of what Mothers Day means for any of us, no matter what our experience.
If you’re just starting to explore newborn adoption as a way to grow your family, I hope this speaks to you. If you might consider putting up your baby for adoption, I hope you know that you’re not alone.
We ALL have, or had, a mom. And some of us call more than one person ‘mom’. Take a minute to ponder God’s great design of motherhood as the best way to care for children. No matter what your experience, I hope that you’ll hold a sincere appreciation for the value of motherhood today.
“We pray together for the children whose mother was not able to love them well. We pray together for the mothers who entrusted their children to another mother through adoption. We pray together for the adoptive mothers who received those children and love them so well.
“We pray together for the mothers who never met their babies or got to see them grow up, whether by choice or not. We pray together for the mothers who long for a child and ask that you sit with them in the waiting. We pray together for the mothers who have buried their children, and we wonder how you willingly gave us your son.
“We pray together for the mothers whose children are hospitalized. We pray together for the mothers of children with physical or mental limitations, and we ask a special blessing over them. We pray together for the mothers of children who struggle due to mental illness or addiction, and we join them in praying for healing and wholeness.
“We pray together for the single mothers who strive so hard and devote all they have to their children and still feel they are never enough. We pray together for the mothers who struggle to provide for their children, and we ask for your extra provision today.
“We pray together for the stepmothers who care for another mother’s children as their own, and we thank you that we are all adopted into your family. We pray together for the grandmothers, aunts, friends, teachers and others who step in and mother in order to share our joys and lighten our loads.
“We pray together for the mothers who have good relationships with their children, and we thank you for the love and comfort they provide. We pray together for the mothers who long to have better relationships with their children, and we ask for your redemption and restoration to come swiftly.
“And lastly, we pray together for all those who have lost their mothers, either physically or mentally, and long to be with them again.
“God, today, we thank you for all the ways we have been loved and mothered along our life’s journey.
“We thank you for creating the concept of motherhood and for all the different forms it takes in our lives. We thank you for these women we call mothers. We thank you for walking with us through it all, and we thank you that we are fiercely loved and never forgotten by you.”
