MOTHER AND DAUGHTER, A BOND OF LOVE
«Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward» (Psalm 127:3).
SHE SAT IN FRONT of me with clenched fists. When I tried to approach her, her body tensed and she pulled back on the couch, avoiding my closeness. I tried to start a conversation, but I was not able to. She put up a cold wall of indifference, almost impossible to tear down. So we remained in silence for a while and then, softly, I began telling her about my own parents and my adolescence, which was sometimes very sad. That was when a sheen of tears peeked into her girlish eyes. She was only fifteen. I approached, and this time, without resistance, I took her hand. In an unexpected move, she completely opened up to me. She pulled back the sleeve of her sweater and I was able to see the scars from cutting herself. In my presence, she cried her loneliness, her sadness, her abandonment. Although my tears could not be seen, I also cried with her inside my heart, remembering my own loneliness as a girl and completely identifying with her pain.
How much damage can result from a bad relationship between a mother and her daughter! That was this girl’s case; the source of her pain. She suffered from her mother’s indifference and constant criticism. Sadly, her mother was not her travel partner in life. Are you your daughter’s travel companion?
We as mothers, should ask God to help us not to hinder in any way our girls’ mental, emotional and spiritual development. They need our tender love, our empathy and our total acceptance of who they are. The world frightens them; therefore, they need to be led with words of encouragement that will certainly connect them with reality. You can show love to your girl through specific actions:
- Accepting her as she is.
- Showing interest in what interests her.
- Hugging her every day.
- Encouraging her when she fails.
- Laughing with her.
- Kindly disciplining her.
If you lack strength, patience or tolerance, ask God to grant them to you. Our «compassionate Redeemer is watching you with love and sympathy, ready to hear your prayers and to render you the assistance which you need. He knows the burdens of every mother’s heart and is her best friend in every emergency» (The Adventist Home, ch. 33, p. 204).
#WomensDevotional
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2021
«BRUSHSTROKES OF GOD’S LOVE»
BY: Erna Alvarado Poblete
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda S
Radio Joven Adventista
Recetas Vegetarianas
