The Miracle in a Mother's Hug (Motherhood Club) - Softcover

Burns, Helen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1476738157 ISBN 13: 9781476738154

Publisher: Howard Books, 2013

Synopsis

Female readers will readily embrace this gentle yet strong exploration of the power of motherhood. Helen Burns confides that "every prayer I prayed, every bedtime story I read, every tear I kissed away, every encouraging word I spoke, every promise I kept, every memory I made -- all of these things truly mattered."

Written in what she refers to as the "reward stage" of motherhood -- when all the seeds she has sown are reaping harvest in the lives of her now-grown children -- she rejoices that she can "fully understand the why behind the what in everything we do as mothers."

Any mother will be refreshed as she is reminded of the value of the everyday miracles that result from expressing affection, being truly present in conversations, and demonstrating commitment in small ways.

About this title

About the Author:

John and Helen Burns co-pastor at Victory Christian Centre, a thriving family church with three worship centers in Vancouver, British Columbia. They co-host a prime-time talk show, Pure Sex and Relationships, as well as an internationally recognized program called Family Success. John is the author of The Miracle in a Daddy's Hug, Can We Talk? seminars, and numerous teaching series; and Helen is the author of Marriage, Motherhood, and Me and The Miracle in a Mother's Hug. Together they have authored The Miracle of Friendship and The Best of Marriage series. You can visit familyvictory.com for more details of their ministry. John and Helen have been married for more than thirty years and have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Introduction

A few years ago, my husband, John, wrote a little book called The Miracle in a Daddy's Hug. The title, he explained, has a twofold meaning. First, a child being held in a daddy's arms is a unique and wonderful miracle of God's creation,” he wrote, “and not just a miracle, but a miracle full of miracles still to be realized. So much life, so much potential is still ahead! Second, a daddy's embrace has miracle-working power. When a father wraps his arms, his words, his love, and his faith around his son or daughter, he opens the way for a miracle in both their lives.”1 How true! I have seen the miracles with my own eyes - the God-given miracles that are our three beautiful daughters, Angela, Danica, and Ashley, now fully grown with families of their own; and the specific-instance miracles that have taken place in each of their lives because their daddy consistently showered them with affection, admiration, and love. I'm so thankful for the miracle in a daddy's hug. As a mother, however, I think it's important to point out that dads don't have a monopoly on miracles. There's a miracle in a mother's hug too!

Amazing Fruit

After twenty-nine years of motherhood, I know. I've seen miracle after miracle take place as my mother's heart has reached out to embrace my daughters in happy times and sad times, easy times and difficult times. How well I remember the day John and I left Vancouver Grace Hospital in our dilapidated old Austin Mini, carrying home our first newborn, Angela Sunshine. As I held Angela in my arms, I felt absolutely overwhelmed. This child was entirely dependent upon me. I was responsible for feeding, clothing, and caring for her. I was responsible for her very life! And in that moment, I gave my heart away forever. There was no going back. I held little Angela, then Danica, then Ashley, in my close embrace, and the transfer was made. And it was made over and over again throughout their lives, whenever I held them and hugged them and told them I loved them.

Now I have reached the most gratifying stage of my life. I call it my “reward stage.” Proverbs 31:31 NKJV says, “Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Now I fully understand the why behind the what of everything we do as mothers. The future is literally in our hands. Everything that leaves our lives enters our futures. With the wisdom of hindsight, I now know that every bedtime story I read, every prayer I prayed, every tear I kissed away, every encouraging word I spoke, every promise I kept, every memory I made mattered. Every act of love, however insignificant it seemed at the time, left an indelible imprint upon my children's impressionable hearts. I now see the effect of all those hugs given over all those years. I watch in wonder as my daughters now do for their children some of the very same things I did for them when they were young.

It is the most amazing thing to watch those whom you have mothered become mothers and carry forth a legacy you helped create! That wonderful fruit is our reward. But it comes later in life. When we're young mothers, we can't see it; we wonder if there will ever be a return on our unconditional investment in our children's lives. I know I often worried about whether I was doing a good job as a mom. Am I doing the right thing? I would ask myself. Am I getting it right more often than I am messing up? Am I making a difference at all? Does anyone appreciate or even notice that I have changed ten diapers today and done four loads of laundry and made three edible meals and managed to hold it all together until bedtime? I had this gnawing fear that if my kids messed up, it would be because of me. Every mother, I think, has this fear to some degree.

Thankfully, on the journey of motherhood, I did at least one thing right: I hugged my girls. I showed them lots of affection. I loved them, encouraged them, mentored them, befriended them. And in the process, I discovered the mercy and grace of God. I was not a perfect mother - not even close. None of us is. But God was faithful in every situation, even when I failed. He assured me that as I invested everything I had of my own natural ability, he would add his “super” to my “natural.” And the results have been just that: supernatural!

Yes, I went through trying times with my children. Sometimes I thought I wouldn't make it - or that they wouldn't. But because quitting was not a viable option, I kept on venturing ahead with a heart full of hope and faith. I kept on loving. I kept on hugging. And to my amazement, God did miracles.

Miracle Soil

Like a daddy's hug, a mother's hug is made up of several components. The first is the child or, as John says, “that miracle full of miracles in seed form.”2 The second is the mother, who has the God-given responsibility and privilege to nurture and care for her miracle seed. Then there are the nutrients within her “soil” that are necessary for the seed's healthy growth: her touch, her presence, her encouragement, her influence, her commitment, her example, her faith, and her friendship.

As we take a closer look at each of these nutrients in the chapters that follow, my prayer is that this book will produce miracles. May each of us discover in a fresh way the paramount significance of a mother's role in the lives of her children. And may we be encouraged and inspired to be better mothers in the process!

About this edition

• Publisher: Howard Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1476738157
• ISBN 13: 9781476738154
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 108