by Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat Vice President of Ministry Services
Have you received your “Thank you” card yet? Mother’s Day just passed and Father’s Day is just around the corner. The greeting card companies, flower folks, tie makers, chandlers, and other vendors who profit from the sale of popular gifts for Mother’s and Father’s Day owe you at least a “Thank you!”
As a dad, I rarely shop alone with my elementary-age daughter and son. But a few days before Mother’s Day, we were on our annual hunt for those precious tokens of our genuine appreciation for their mom and my wife. The marketing signs were direct, “Show Your Mom You Love Her on May 9th.” My 9-year-old son was quick to scoff at such crass commercialism saying, “You should show your mom you love her all year long!” Right you are, son, because moms certainly are worthy. And so are dads. . .
How many other nine-year olds look for just the right card or the perfect gift for their mom and dad (within their budgets)? That special smile of love, a homemade card, the warm embrace of their infants -- how many moms and dads are filled with these joys because they found a pregnancy help center?
Since the earliest pregnancy resource centers appeared more than 40 years ago, a million or more moms and dads have enjoyed their Day because of the help of a pregnancy center. These are special celebrations because they were at risk of never happening. The newborn we celebrate in our ministry is not just a life, but also a lifetime! For the majority of babies we see born, there will be dozens of Mother’s and Father’s Day cards, gifts, and phone calls.
Okay, so I don’t really expect a “Thank you!” in my mailbox from the phone company or Hallmark or the florist. But the reality of the Great Work we are involved in -- the breadth and depth of our efforts to affirm the Gift of Life and the Giver of Life -- constantly amazes me. The picture of the positive outcomes we all share in is a “Thank you!” in a class by itself.
Life is truly precious, so take heart! And thank you!
