Welcome to Gateway Church's podcast.

Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message.

Some of you know my story and know I became a mom really, really, really late in the game.

I became a mom through the miracle of adoption the year I turned 50.

I think we have a picture of my daughter and I at South Lake.

That's my girl. I know. She's amazing. She's right there. I told Missy this weekend was all

about her because Mother's Day used to be really hard for me. And those of you who are sitting

here in this sanctuary this morning, and if you could be

really straightforward, you'd say it's a little hard for me too. Either you've lost a child,

or you have a prodigal child, or you've never had someone who calls you mom. And that's hard.

I spent years trying to celebrate my friends who were moms.

And of course, honor and celebrate my own mama.

It was hard going to church.

And more often than not, I'd run by Starbucks and I'd get the biggest frappuccino they had

with whipped cream. Like, why do they ask you if you want whipped cream? You know, it's 2,045 calories. What's

a dollop of whipped cream on top of that? But I'd get the biggest frappuccino I could get and I'd get

in my car and I would just drive down these

rural highways and listen to old 80s pop songs and cry because I thought I don't want to rain

on the parade of my friends who have children but this is just this is a hard day me. And I knew it was my fault because I was really

broken in my 20s and 30s, very drawn to abusive men, scared to death of intimacy. And I knew that was

the consequence of the sin and the toxicity as a young woman, but I just still grieved Mother's Day. So to get to be a mom at the age of 50

has been an extraordinary gift, but it also keeps me reminded of the women who are missing

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