Mom, Your Work Shall Be Rewarded

This morning as I watching the news I saw John Edwards arriving to the court for his trial.  It caught my attention especially when the newscaster stated that “Edwards was arriving accompanied by his parents who have been with him every day of the trial.”  I started thinking about his parents and all they have been through because of John’s poor decisions.  To think that at one time these parents thought their son might be the president of the United States – and now they are hoping that he won’t have to go jail!  I thought of how proud they must have been of their son as he graduated from law school and became a very successful lawyer.  I imagined how hopeful they were at one time when he was so close to being elected as the vice-president with John Kerry in 2004; and how they must have felt when their son was doing well in is bid as a presidential candidate in 2006 for the 2008 election – and then everything changed.  Suddenly their son was in the news for being unfaithful to his wife – who was dying of cancer. He was in the public eye as the man that lied about fathering a child with a woman that was not his wife – he was becoming famous for being a liar and now he is on trial for basically lying and stealing…what a disgrace.  Yet – there they are – his parents with him at his side

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What a picture of undying love – and of course I could not help but think of how we so often disappoint our heavenly Father and yet He is always ready to forgive and loves us unconditionally – He has promised to never leave us or forsake us – what a wonderful promise! 

A few weeks ago I was reading in Jeremiah and I saw something that I had never noticed before that to me was an answer of hope for parents whose children disappoint them – for moms whose kids go astray.  I read in Jeremiah 31: 15-17,  “Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.   Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”  In the past I had always thought Rachel was weeping because her children died – but this time I realized that they were not dead –they just were not…I began to think of all the “nots” that could be applied to this truth.  I could see moms weeping because her children were not…saved, not living for God, not in church, not happy, not healthy, not fulfilling their dreams, were not going in the same direction any longer.  And for every “not” I found that God made this promise, “thy work shall be rewarded and they shall come again from the land of the enemy (worldly, away from God, etc.).  I especially love that the Lord tells moms specifically that there is hope that her children will return.  What a tremendous promise!

I don’t know John Edward’s mom, but I know that she would want to hear there is hope for her son.  I don’t know what a lot of moms face – but I know there is hope.  And to you young moms that are working so hard to raise your kids – there is a promise from the Lord that your work will be rewarded!

Have a wonderful day!