Mother’s Day for Those with Unloving Mothers

3. View the situation through the lens of grace.

I experienced the greatest healing once I began viewing my mother and her behavior with grace. I realized she never intended to hurt me. I knew some of the hurts and abandonment she herself had suffered. I came to realize that much of her behavior stemmed from the brokenness she had experienced. While this newfound understanding didn’t justify her actions, it did stir empathy within me. And gratitude that God was bringing me to a place of increased wholeness, not because I deserved it but simply because He was loving and good.

I imagine I’ll always feel a tinge of sadness when Mother’s Day comes. We all long for our moms, after all. But I now know the power and comfort that comes when we invite God into our wounded places and follow His lead toward increased freedom. He gives us His truth-filled perspective of the situation and our moms, helps us to grieve well, and to view our entire lives—our shortcomings and the shortcomings of others, through the understanding of grace.