It's not very often that I'm tempted to skip church. But, there is one weekend where it becomes a serious consideration.
What Sunday is that?
Mother's Day.
And not because I have anything against the day.
Or because I don't have a good relationship with my own mother. We have our disagreements, but, for the most part, we have a good relationship.
So, why is it a weekend I'm tempted to skip church?
Because of how Mother's Day has been handled so often in the past. Always, with really good intentions of celebrating and affirming the mothers in church that morning.
But, also, often hard for many. For those who don't have children of their own, because they've never had the chance. For those who don't have children, because they haven't been able to. For those who have lost a child. For those who didn't or don't have a good relationship with their mothers. For those who recently lost their mother.
In the process of honouring mothers on this day, there have been many times that I have been the only woman in the part of the church sanctuary I was sitting in who was still seated when they asked all the mothers in the service to stand. Or the times, a hand offering the gift that morning to the mothers there has been pulled back from me when they realize who I am.
All of those moments, painful reminders that my life doesn't look like I thought it would. That I don't have a part of my life that I thought I would by now.
And, so I'm tempted to skip church on Mother's Day. Not just choose to join online instead, but completely skip it.
So, what do we do?
I won't say we shouldn't acknowledge the mothers at church. But, we need to be creative in doing so in a way that doesn't so obviously identify who does not have children.
