This weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring the women in our lives that function as our moms.

Moms help us in so many practical and spiritual ways to become our best and guide us on our journey. They sacrifice their needs to help meet ours. They help us gain perspective when we need it most. They give tirelessly to make our homes places of refuge and peace even when they’re feeling exhausted and drained. Moms provided our first embrace and are the last people on the planet that we want to let go of.

Moms are awesome! So, in honor of the women in our lives that we have the privilege of calling “mom,” here are 3 huge reasons moms rock. 

#3 They strengthen us with their encouragement.

When you’re feeling down and don’t know if life is going to get better, who’s there with a gentle reminder that “this too shall pass” and a quick “everything’s going to be alright” pat on the back? Mom, of course!

Moms are encouragement machines. They sense intuitively when the emotional energy of those around them is low and seek to elevate it by their encouraging words. There’s almost no voice on the planet that soothes our broken hearts and strengthens our resolve like a mother’s voice.

When I was a kid, I used to get picked on at school. It had gotten so bad several times that I just flat-out refused to go. One morning, while I was in the throes of a passionate plea to my parents that I should just be homeschooled, my mom sat beside me, placed her hand on my back and said (in my embellished memory), “I know it looks like this is going to be forever, but I promise it won’t. Life is made up of seasons, and seasons change. Keep sticking up for yourself in this season, so you’ll respect yourself in the next.” I didn’t give up that day and her advice has proven to be true.

Encouragement is the art of giving others confidence in themselves and hope that there will always be a better future. And there’s nobody on the planet better-equipped to do that than a mother.

#2 They enhance us and make us better.

Who has ever had the classic mom moment of hurrying out the door and then having her identify something on your face that needs to removed before you go any further? What comes next, varies by mother, but it usually involves someone’s saliva on her thumb as she rubs away the violating stain. Sound familiar?

The truth is, moms desire things to continually improve. There’s a drive inside a mother that wants to take was given her and help to increase its value. You know how a house just feels like a box with a roof until a mom enhances it with her love? There’s a tangible difference between a room that hasn’t been touched by mom’s hand and one that has. They beautify our world with their warm smiles and plentiful hugs while raising the bar on the kind of person we are to become.

My mom always wanted more for us kids than she had for herself growing up. She would have given us the world if she could, but was happy to give us the opportunity to make a better world for ourselves than the world she had been given. And even though I didn’t become the doctor that she so desperately wanted me to be, she’s pretty happy with the man I’ve become.

The essence of enhancement is to increase the quality, value, and appearance of something. Moms have a way of polishing the rough stones that they’ve been given until they shine like diamonds for the world to see.

#1 They give us life.

When I married my wife, Lisa, I didn’t think I could ever love her more than I did then. I was proven wrong, of course, when I witnessed her become a mother. The way she fought selflessly to provide the healthiest entrance into this world that our kids could have. They way she focused on the outcome of giving our children life while going through the pain of the process. They way she held them in her arms for the first time when she was blessed to finally see the face of the children she had carried inside her. It was an awesome experience to see her give birth to our two children, but it has been an even more awe-inspiring journey to see her give life to them.

Women are the pathway through which all of us receive life on this planet. Our creator bestowed this special honor on them and none of us can take it away. Men can’t do it. Women were designed for it. But I think what’s important here is that we understand the distinction between giving birth and giving life.

Birth is just the beginning. It’s our starting point. It’s the genesis of our journey. But moms were equipped with much more than the reproductive organs that make human life possible. They were empowered with the force that generates life in those they care for. The life that points to what’s really important in our world. The life that acts as a light so that others can find their way. The life that shows us an unconditional love that can’t be shaken. Moms are special that way.

Life is about so much more than the physical act of giving birth and because of that, every woman (biological mother or not) is called to participate. Moms plant the seed of life in our hearts and water it with their love while letting their light shine to help us grow into the beautiful human beings they see in their mind’s eye.

So, this Mother’s Day, don’t forget to say thank you to all the moms in your life that helped to encourage you, enhance you, and give you life. They’ll appreciate your sentiment and you’ll appreciate them even more.

Discussion Question:

Question: What’s your favorite mom moment that has encouraged and enhanced your life? I would love to hear your story! You can leave a comment by clicking here.