Facebook and the rest of the social media muddle is not always my favorite for many reasons, but this weekend was an exception. I loved every single picture of every single mom with every single kid. I was one with the “love” button for Mother’s Day. I even contributed to the cause with a collage of my own two most precious gifts. { And it should be noted I had the same color hair in all three pictures! }

But I have to be honest. Something plagued my thoughts more than just once. In fact, it surfaced with every single “love” button I pushed.

What about the faces of those children who never appear on anyone’s Facebook wall or Instagram feed … or on a refrigerator door… or anywhere? What about the motherless in this broken world? And they’re not just motherless; they’re often nameless and faceless to us, too.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. After all, we’re the church. And, we’re moms { and dads }. We know how to do this mothering thing.

Now before you get panicked and stop reading, let me say this. We’re not all cut out to be foster parents or to adopt children… but that does not mean we can’t do something. We can. And more importantly, we should. Can I just say this again? We. Are. The. Church. Jesus gave us this call to action more than once in the Bible.

I posted pics of Logan and Cameron for Mother’s Day, but there are two other children we have that you don’t know about. We have Ella. She’s four years old and lives in a foster home in China. She was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate and orphaned at birth. Through the amazing ministry of Love Without Boundaries, Ella received surgery to repair her beautiful face. But more importantly, she has received unconditional love and nurturing. I “met” Ella when she was 7 months old, and we’ve been sponsoring her since that time. We also have Yogita. She is 14 and lives in India. Yogita shares the same birthday as Logan, and that is why I chose her when we began sponsoring with Compassion. She and I have exchanged letters, pictures, Bible verses, drawings, and more for seven years. She now writes to me in English, and I dream of the day I can meet her.

Mothering can look like that.

Every Sunday a group of women from my church load up in the church van to go to prison. I don’t have exact statistics, but I can make an educated guess that more than 90% of the women we love on there missed out and are still missing out on a mother.

Mothering can look like that.

This past Sunday I spoke at a Mother’s Day Brunch at First Baptist Eastland. There I met Charla. She’s opened her arms and her heart wide to three young women released from jail through a ministry at their church called Redeemer House.

Mothering can look like that.

My own pastor has a few “stray” kids who hang out at the church on a regular basis after school. He always has a snack for them, but more importantly, he talks with them and spends time with them.

Mothering can look like that.

Two friends of mine welcome junior high and high school girls into their home for Bible study. These girls have mommas at home, but what teenage girl doesn’t need more than one woman encouraging her, speaking truth to her, and guiding her.

Mothering can look like that.

Imagine how different this world would be if every single person was named and claimed.
If there was not one who went unnoticed and unloved.

You’ve been named and claimed by Jesus. As such, this is our calling and our purpose. And it should be our work.

We know how to do this mothering thing. Who can you love and nurture today?