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So let's be gentle with each other this Mother's Day. Let's celebrate with the women who have happy families. Let's remember the women, men, girls, and boys who are hurt by their mothers. Let's remember the mothers who have lost their children. Let's remember the women who long to be wives and mothers, but aren't. Let's come together and worship Jesus alone, not idealized images of our mothers or ourselves.

Mother's Day might be hard for me this year no matter what, but I'll do my best to be blessed on that day. Instead of comparing myself to greeting card moms, I'll think of the real women in my life, who carry both great happinesses and deep sorrows. I'll remember women in my Christian story, including Eve, Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Mary. And I'll go to church not to celebrate motherhood, but to receive the love of the God who mothers us all.

Jenell Williams Paris is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also the author of Birth Control for Christians (Baker, 2003) and co-author of Urban Disciples (Judson, 2000).

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Earlier Christianity Today articles by Paris include:

Has Natural Birth Control Been Proved Impossible? | Don't believe the media reports, cautions the author of Birth Control for Christians (July 15, 2003)

The Truth About Sex | Even Christians get seduced by the sexual lies our culture proclaims (Nov. 13, 2001)

Cindy Crosby reviewed Paris's Birth Control for Christians.

Christianity Today's Weblog earlier took note of Paris's weblog, The Paris Project.

Other reflections on Mother's Day are available in our corporate web site's Mother's Day area.

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May (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48