“5 Things My Mom Did For Me”

By: Mariah Bedford

I want to start out by saying I am not perfect, and neither is my mom. We’ve had our ups and downs (both personally and towards each other). But I do know this: My mom is proud of me, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. The things below are not have-to’s. You’re not a bad mom if you don’t do these things. But I am thankful for a mom who took the time to do everything on this list. I would not be who I am today without my amazing mother.

1. PRAYED FOR ME

If you’ve ever met my mother, you know she prays over anything and everything. If your car, printer, washer, stove, mower, or computer is broken, she’ll pray for it. If you’re going through a hard time, she’ll pray for you and your family. She’s a praying woman, and praying for her kids was no different. My mom prayed for me in the womb, when I went to preschool, when I had a hard test coming up, when I learned to drive, when I went to college. She prayed for my marriage. She prayed every time I was sick. She even prayed I would be wiser and smarter than she was. I can’t even imagine where I’d be without my mother’s prayers.

2. TOOK ME TO CHURCH

For awhile (about 8 years), my family didn’t go to church. We went when I was younger, but then my dad had to work most Sundays, and my mom spent all of her time in the nursery with my baby brother. Those years were hard for my family, but my mom always encouraged me to go to church with friends or family who did go. Then we found Your Place Church. It saved our family. My mom understood church was important, she just didn’t know which one to go to. When she finally decided, we never looked back. She showed us, through her actions, church was important. Finding community in the local church is the reason I am who I am today.

3. SERVED IN FRONT OF ME

My mom is a servant. I believe she has the spiritual gift of serving, so it comes naturally to her. But the Bible tells us to lay down our lives for others, just as Jesus did for us. Just a few weeks after we started going to church, my mom began serving. My mom’s actions shaped me. I saw she loved serving, so I wanted to serve. When I was only fourteen years old, she asked me if I wanted to volunteer with her in kids ministry, and the answer was an obvious yes. There has never been a period of time since where I wasn’t serving in church. I pray I pass on the gift of servanthood to my children one day, just like my mom did to me.

4. INVESTED IN MY FAITH

My mom invested both time and money into my faith. She paid for me to go to summer camp when I was a teenager and asked what I learned on the ride home. She bought me faith-based books for Christmas. We listened to worship music on our car rides to school. And while she was cleaning around the house, she’d listen to podcasts from different churches. I know not everyone can afford to send their kids to summer camps, and not everyone can afford to buy anything for their kids on Christmas, not even a book. But know this: When you are in a place where that’s possible, it’s worth it. For right now, the free stuff is good enough. Simply watching my mother devoting time into her faith made me want to do the same.

5. MADE ME FEEL IMPORTANT

My mother’s love language is quality time, so spending time with her kids was really important to her. Most of our quality time was actually spent shopping. We never bought much on any of those trips, but the amount isn’t what I remember. It was getting a half-price shake during Steak N Shake’s happy hour. It was walking (and talking) up and down every square inch of the mall. It was laughing at her obscure sense of humor. What my mom communicated by spending time with me was that I was important. My time, my thoughts, my interests were all important. There is not a greater feeling than knowing your parent loves and cares for you.

know you don’t have to be the perfect mother, sister, aunt, OR grandmA to be a good one. No one is. But if you’re looking for some inspiration, I hope my mother could be of some help. Happy Mother’S Day. ❤️

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