Happy Mother’s Day!

And speaking of mothers, can we talk about superheroes? The recent rise of Marvel movies have once again brought superheroes to the forefront. Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Avengers Endgame have brought a plethora of superheroes to the screen, and to our imaginations. I bet your kids love superheroes! I do, too. Whether it’s Iron Man, the Hulk, Wonder Woman, Black Widow or the Wasp, all Superheroes have four things in common:

Courage.

A Strong Moral Code.

A High Tolerance for Pain.

Extraordinary Powers and Ability.

And funny enough, this list of super powers is also a list of characteristics of motherhood.

Courage

It takes a lot of courage to be a mom. Just ask any mom who has had to watch her child be strapped down to a gurney in the Emergency Room after an accident. Just ask every mom who has had to hold a screaming child getting a shot. In every case, kids are looking to us to tell them its OK, because when we are brave, they can be brave. From that first cry of “Momeeeee” in the morning to the last request for one more drink of water at the end of the day, it is a 24/7 situation of having to be brave every minute. This motherhood thing ain’t for sissies. Jesus once said, “Let not your hearts be troubled, and neither let them be afraid.” I believe he said that while watching a mother soothe her child with a 105 degree fever in the middle of the night, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Supergirls can handle things that nobody else can.

A Strong Moral Code

Superhero movies are kind of the last place where moral codes are important these days. Yet moms live, eat and have their being in the Land of Strong Moral Code. Think about how many times moms say to children, “Don’t do that, its not nice.” “Stop hitting your brother, we don’t do that.” “Say please and thank you.” “Stop picking your nose.” “Don’t talk with your mouth full. Don’t chew with your mouths open!” Moms are the Guardians of the Galaxy of Good Behavior. The scriptures remind us to “raise up a child in the way they should go, and when they are grown, they will not depart from it.” So you go, Wonder Women! You are creating productive and polite citizens of the planet earth.

A High Tolerance for Pain

Please! Can we talk about childbirth??? After nine months of carrying a growing alien parasite on top of your bladder? Remember the early days of breastfeeding? And as children grow, the pain changes….watching them get hurt, seeing them struggle, experiencing rejection with them for the first time, watching them fail… Girlfriends, the pain is real. When our children hurt, we hurt. But God created mothers to be strong enough to endure the pain. When I think about how much pain a mother can endure, I remember that Jesus’ mother Mary was at the cross, and watched her son be beaten and die for the salvation of the world. Moms can tolerate a lot of pain and hurt, and yet respond with love through it all. ‘Cause that’s what Superheroes do.

Extraordinary Powers and Abilities:

Only mothers can breast feed a baby, get gum out of a two year old’s hair, make dinosaur-shaped pasta and meatballs in less than a minute, and vacuum under the sofa ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And did you know, moms possess two amazing super powers that the mere mortals they live with absolutely do NOT possess.

1. Mothers can FIND THINGS. Nobody else in the house can find their own heads on their shoulders, but Moms can find things. A mother can find the toddler’s left shoe, the son’s basketball shorts AND her husband’s keys. ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Moms find things!

2. And second, moms possess that amazing, other-worldly ability that no one else seems to be able to do the way a mom can…I’m talking about changing poopy diapers. Not just the regular poopy ones, but the explosive, Krakatoa poops that go up the child’s back, out the neck of the shirt and all over the car seat. Yes, superhero moms can do it all, I tell you!

A mother’s super powers are limitless, but possibly the best super power mothers have is PRAYER. We have the power to change and alter our kids’ lives with the powerful aspect of direct communication with God through prayer. Nobody prays for you like your Momma. And heaven knows moms pray all the time…like, “Lord, this kid is working my last nerve and if you want to see him live to be 4, help me!!” “And my favorite prayer of motherhood: “Lord, give me patience. And give it to me right now!” And mothers, if you think you pray a lot for your children now, just wait until they are TEENAGERS. WITH DRIVER’S LICENSES. AND BOYFRIENDS/GIRLFRIENDS.

But you already know how you’ll get through those days. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Remember, before they were ours, our children belonged to God. He came to give them life and give it abundantly, and he is on their side. And yours.

God is our true Superhero, and his super powers to care for, love and protect our children even outweigh a mother’s. So when you hit that wall that is guaranteed to come, pray. Just pray. And know that God hears you. And sees you. And loves you.