I was recently interviewed about the release of my newest book, The Jealous Son, and it dawned on me that I wrote it from a mother’s perspective (that of Eve in the Bible, or Eliza Trellis as the character in the book) for a reason. For those who haven’t read it, it’s a contemporary suspense novel based on the Bible story of Cain and Abel about sibling rivalry and what happens when jealousy goes too far…but I wanted to write it from the mother’s perspective to show the pain of grief and loss and how faith in God had to pull Eve (Eliza) through such devastating tragedies.
Most of us are fortunate that we don’t have to go through Eve’s grief and pain. (I luckily have not lost a child, so I interviewed two good friends who had…and had also healed through their faith…so the story would come across as real and authentic.) But if you’re a mother, even though you may not have lost a child, I know you have experienced the depth of pain and joy that goes along with that role no matter how many children you have or how old they are. We mothers feel our children’s pains and joys along with our own. And I believe God does too. After all the Bible tells us we are made in “their” image! God also tells us in Isaiah 49:15: “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you.”
We all have or had a mother who gave birth to us and we all have a God…this Mother’s Day let’s use the “pause” we find ourselves in to be grateful for both and realize that we are well loved and cared for…and to give praise for those blessings. Let us pray for those mothers who have lost a child or children that their faith brings them through. And for those of us who are mothers, let us pray that God keeps us strong, grateful and loving despite the pains we endure so we can feel the joys that motherhood brings.
Dear Lord, please help use to appreciate your goodness in helping us bear our pain and rewarding us with joy as sons and daughters and as mothers and fathers…help us to remain grateful in this time of crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic and know that You have a plan and love us more than we know.
p.s. There is a happy ending to The Jealous Son (and Eve’s story in the Bible) but if you haven’t read either yet I don’t want to spoil it for you…you’ll have to read them! (Visit my Books Page for more info!)
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
