Festivals are designed by God for us to remember the great things He has done.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I am painfully aware that it might not be joyful for everyone, myself included.
For many women, it’s a reminder of the children they longed for but never had, the babies they miscarried or lost, or the kids they no longer get to see. And then there are those who are missing or grieving their own mother on this day.
Over the past few years, as I’ve tried to navigate this day as best I could, I’ve discovered something very sweet about God and the Holidays He established.
Our worldly holidays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine's Day, and even commercialised Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter tend to revolve around what:
- We are (a mother, a father, a lover, etc.)
- We have or get (children, a partner, gifts, food, etc.)
- We do (dinners, dates, family traditions, gift exchanges, etc.)
These holidays always leave some people hurting over what they’ve lost or feeling excluded because their lives don’t fit the perfect picture.
On the contrary, if we look at the festivals celebrated in the Bible, they don’t centre on us but on God, and can be enjoyed by everyone!
Passover (or Pesach) celebrates God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and represents the blood of the lamb, pointing to Jesus' sacrifice (Exodus 12). Sukkot is a joyous, week-long festival remembering God's provision in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:33-44). And there are many more like this.
These festivals were designed by God to help us remember the great things He has done, draw us closer to Him and lead us to a place of rest in His grace. If you, like me, struggle during holidays when the world seems to rub your pain in your face, remember that you have a loving, considerate God.
Take a moment to remember the great things He has done in your life and allow yourself to rest in His grace.
