Nothing in this world is worth having without love. A world without love is a fitting topic for Mother’s Day!

Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 13—the great love chapter. He writes: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Without love, eloquent speech, perceptive IQ, steadfast faith, and generous giving mean nothing.

It’s quite clear that we humans are capable of doing a lot of things without love. Love may be the greatest, but not everyone experiences how wonderful love is. Love is even more fulfilling for the giver than the receiver. There has never been a relationship that has brought forth more unconditional love from me as motherhood. You gain a whole new willingness to be peed on or thrown-up on when you love as a mother. So much smelliness, ugliness and mess comes into your life, but you would never want to be without it.

God created moms to love in a special way. The absence of a mother’s love is sometimes fatal. A child may not desire to even live without love. When you allow the Holy Spirit to draw out of you the God given instincts to love, you become better than you are.

Love requires a lot of you. It is not easy to love. I find it impossible to love without God loving through me. I have noticed that as 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Mother’s Day can be very painful for those who do not have their mom on earth. It’s painful for those who have not known a mother’s love the way God designed it to flow. It can be painful for those who long to love a child but have not been blessed with this spiritual growth opportunity.

Whether Mother’s Day is personally a time of pain, sorrow or deep blessings, the day was founded because of the impact of a mother’s love. The face only a mother could love is a wonderfully true way that God has designed our relationships. If you don’t know a mother’s love personally, you are invited to love like a mom. Be patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, do not dishonor others, don’t be self-seeking, don’t be easily angered, don’t keep record of wrongs, don’t delight in evil, rejoice in truth, protect, trust, hope, and persevere. You will end up with a heart full of love and that will give you everything because love never fails.