I am your mother. You know you had a mother before me. You also had an aunt who took on this maternal role in your life. You liked that. She gave you things that you liked. You two are attached to it, I believe in a very sane way. Then I show up.

I keep showering without confronting you. I know you. You’ll be fine. Sure enough, when I get out of my bedroom, papa has gone to work by then and what are you up to? Happy playing legos with brother on the living room floor. Again no surprise to me. But now it’s time to eat. Do you come running and show that you are starving and can’t wait to gobble up a large bowl of your favorite cereal? No not at all. You continue playing for a few minutes.

I pour your cereal and notice your face when you come to the table. No sign of anything negative. Not a sigh of relief that mom finally got through to meet an urgent need in your life. Just a normal morning to sit and eat.

“Father,” I say in prayer before my son takes the first bite.

“Thanks for this meal today. You promised to give your people food and clothes to wear every day. At the moment Daniel is about to eat this cereal and he is wearing clothes. Thank you for giving us these things! You take care of us so well! And I want to thank you for being a good God and keeping your promises. They look after us so well every day. In Jesus name, amen. “

I had thought that this morning I might tell you why you felt bad about me. I know you could probably take it well and learn something. But I decided, by God’s grace, to praise the Lord only in audible prayer. A prayer that may perhaps take care of the things we are trying to build into you. Things about who our Heavenly Father is and what our dependence on Him is like every day. He is good and his kindness is enough to satisfy the hungry soul. Our mother-son relationship must first be built on this foundation.