Why God Gave You Your Mom
Poet and best-selling non-fiction writer Rebecca Simon on the meaning and gift of having a mother.
God knew that this world would be hard to weather at certain times. That there would be days when your heart would ache from the weight of it all, days when your strength would doubt itself, days when you would forget who you were, forget where you came from in the noise of it all. So, he gave you someone who would instinctively hold the parts of you that hadn’t yet learned how to hold themselves. He gave you someone whose love would anchor you before you even knew you needed that kind of softness, that kind of safety.
He gave you your mom.
Not because she would get everything right, not because she would always be a shining example of virtue or praise, but because she would care enough to try. Because even when she was exhausted, even when she doubted herself, even when she felt like she was always getting it wrong — she kept showing up. Quietly, and intentionally, and without asking for applause.
God knew that that kind of presence would matter more than perfection, that you would need a person in your life who reminded you of the beauty that exists in being human, in being real.
God knew that what we need most in this life is someone who sees us fully, and someone who chooses us there, no matter what they witness. God knew that we need someone who can soften the world just by standing in it, someone who has the tenderness to break through our exteriors, someone who wants to know us by heart.
Maybe your relationship with your mom hasn’t always been simple. Maybe it’s been layered, or rocky, or marked by both love and loss. But even still — she was chosen. God used her to bring you into this world, and through her, he gifted you the kind of love that mirrors his own, the kind of love that is protective, that is patient, that endures.
A mother’s love is one of the clearest reflections we are given of how God loves his children — not because it is flawless, and soft all over, but because it is faithful. It stays through every version of you. It sees beyond your mistakes. It stretches, it bends, it rebuilds, and most importantly, it remains.
That is why God sent you your mom. Because somewhere along the timeline of your life, he knew that you would need someone who could carry you, someone who would hold you close, someone whose love would make an impact on you — gently and without condition.
