The Miracle in a Mother's Hug

by Helen Burns

Overview

Female readers will readily embrace this gentle yet strong exploration of the power of motherhood. Helen Burns confides that "every prayer I prayed, every bedtime story I read, every tear I kissed away, every encouraging word I spoke, every promise I kept, every memory I made — all of these things truly mattered."

Written in what she refers to as the "reward stage" of motherhood — when all the seeds she has sown are reaping harvest in the lives of her now-grown children — she rejoices that she can "fully understand the why behind the what in everything we do as mothers."

Any mother will be refreshed as she is reminded of the value of the everyday miracles that result from expressing affection, being truly present in conversations, and demonstrating commitment in small ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476738154
Publisher:	Howard Books
Publication date:	03/02/2013
Series:	Motherhood Club
Pages:	108
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

John and Helen Burns co-pastor at Victory Christian Centre, a thriving family church with three worship centers in Vancouver, British Columbia. They co-host a prime-time talk show, Pure Sex and Relationships, as well as an internationally recognized program called Family Success. John is the author of The Miracle in a Daddy's Hug, Can We Talk? seminars, and numerous teaching series; and Helen is the author of Marriage, Motherhood, and Me and The Miracle in a Mother's Hug. Together they have authored The Miracle of Friendship and The Best of Marriage series. You can visit familyvictory.com for more details of their ministry. John and Helen have been married for more than thirty years and have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Read an Excerpt

The Miracle in a Mother's Hug

Introduction

A few years ago, my husband, John, wrote a little book

called The Miracle in a Daddy's Hug. The title, he

explained, has a twofold meaning.

First, a child being held in a daddy's arms is a unique and

wonderful miracle of God's creation,” he wrote, “and not just

a miracle, but a miracle full of miracles still to be realized. So

much life, so much potential is still ahead! Second, a daddy's

embrace has miracle-working power. When a father wraps his

arms, his words, his love, and his faith around his son or

daughter, he opens the way for a miracle in both their lives.”₁

How true! I have seen the miracles with my own eyes - the

God-given miracles that are our three beautiful daughters,

Angela, Danica, and Ashley, now fully grown with families of

their own; and the specific-instance miracles that have taken

place in each of their lives because their daddy consistently

showered them with affection, admiration, and love.

I'm so thankful for the miracle in a daddy's hug. As a

mother, however, I think it's important to point out that dads

don't have a monopoly on miracles. There's a miracle in a

mother's hug too!

Amazing Fruit

After twenty-nine years of motherhood, I know. I've

seen miracleafter miracle take place as my mother's

heart has reached out to embrace my daughters in happy times

and sad times, easy times and difficult times.

How well I remember the day John and I left Vancouver

Grace Hospital in our dilapidated old Austin Mini, carrying

home our first newborn, Angela Sunshine. As I held Angela in

my arms, I felt absolutely overwhelmed. This child was entirely

dependent upon me. I was responsible for feeding, clothing,

and caring for her. I was responsible for her very life! And in

that moment, I gave my heart away forever. There was no

going back. I held little Angela, then Danica, then Ashley, in

my close embrace, and the transfer was made. And it was made

over and over again throughout their lives, whenever I held

them and hugged them and told them I loved them.

Now I have reached the most gratifying stage of my life. I

call it my “reward stage.” Proverbs 31:31 NKJV says, “Give her

of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the

gates.” Now I fully understand the why behind the what of

everything we do as mothers. The future is literally in our

hands. Everything that leaves our lives enters our futures. With

the wisdom of hindsight, I now know that every bedtime story

I read, every prayer I prayed, every tear I kissed away, every

encouraging word I spoke, every promise I kept, every memory

I made mattered. Every act of love, however insignificant it

seemed at the time, left an indelible imprint upon my children's

impressionable hearts. I now see the effect of all those hugs

given over all those years. I watch in wonder as my daughters

now do for their children some of the very same things I did for

them when they were young.

It is the most amazing thing to watch those whom you have

mothered become mothers and carry forth a legacy you helped

create! That wonderful fruit is our reward. But it comes later in

life. When we're young mothers, we can't see it; we wonder if

there will ever be a return on our unconditional investment in

our children's lives. I know I often worried about whether I was

doing a good job as a mom. Am I doing the right thing? I would

ask myself. Am I getting it right more often than I am messing up?

Am I making a difference at all? Does anyone appreciate or even

notice that I have changed ten diapers today and done four loads

of laundry and made three edible meals and managed to hold it

all together until bedtime? I had this gnawing fear that if my

kids messed up, it would be because of me. Every mother, I

think, has this fear to some degree.

Thankfully, on the journey of motherhood, I did at least

one thing right: I hugged my girls. I showed them lots of

affection. I loved them, encouraged them, mentored them,

befriended them. And in the process, I discovered the mercy

and grace of God. I was not a perfect mother - not even close.

None of us is. But God was faithful in every situation, even

when I failed. He assured me that as I invested everything I

had of my own natural ability, he would add his “super” to my

“natural.” And the results have been just that: supernatural!

Yes, I went through trying times with my children. Sometimes

I thought I wouldn't make it - or that they wouldn't. But

because quitting was not a viable option, I kept on venturing

ahead with a heart full of hope and faith. I kept on loving. I

kept on hugging. And to my amazement, God did miracles.

Miracle Soil

Like a daddy's hug, a mother's hug is made up of

several components. The first is the child or, as

John says, “that miracle full of miracles in seed form.”₂ The

second is the mother, who has the God-given responsibility

and privilege to nurture and care for her miracle seed. Then

there are the nutrients within her “soil” that are necessary for

the seed's healthy growth: her touch, her presence, her encouragement,

her influence, her commitment, her example, her

faith, and her friendship.

As we take a closer look at each of these nutrients in the chapters

that follow, my prayer is that this book will produce miracles.

May each of us discover in a fresh way the paramount significance

of a mother's role in the lives of her children. And may we be

encouraged and inspired to be better mothers in the process!

Continues...

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Excerpted from The Miracle in a Mother's Hug by Helen Burns Copyright © 2004 by Helen Burns. Excerpted by permission.
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