As a Mother Loves Her Child: A heart-to-heart message from Phil Altmeyer

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13)

For the past ten years, I’ve been teaching the UGM women’s Bible study. I started the practice due to a series of hard events in my family which opened my eyes to the weightier challenges women with children face at our shelters. To succeed in Recovery as a mom, a woman must work through her own poor choices and toxic habits while learning to parent a child most likely wounded by those same choices.

"To succeed in Recovery as a mom, a woman must work through her own poor choices and toxic habits while learning to parent a child most likely wounded by those same choices."

I have never regretted the decision to transition from teaching the men’s study to teaching the women. No matter where I’m at in life or what’s going on at the Mission, it is always one of the highlights of my week. Each semester, I begin the study with simple truths: God never changes. His love extends to every person, no matter their current situation or past mistakes. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. A few weeks in, we start discussing the basics of the Christian life: how you walk in the power of the Spirit, how you deal with sin and failure, how you grow as a Christian.

I met Brianna and Daisy at the beginning of last summer’s study. Immediately, something stood out to me. Brianna seemed hungry—not desperately grasping, but ready to feast at the table of the Lord’s goodness. She explained that she wanted what was best for her child, and in seeking that, had discovered what was best for herself. She was learning that the Lord’s love for her is just like her own love for Daisy, only better, and that if she was willing to put in the hard work to care for Daisy as well as possible, she could believe that God was willing to put in the hard work on her own behalf.

I am so refreshed as I teach foundational truths again and again. So often, the women bless me with their fresh new insights into who Jesus is. Young mothers who strive for the best for their children are a beautiful reflection of how diligently the Lord will work on your and my behalf from the day of our salvation until we see Him face to face.

Friends, as we seek to serve the lost and broken, let us remember that we, too, need the ministry of Jesus every day. And let us boast in nothing but the goodness of God. Through His grace alone, we are conduits for His powerful love and intercession. Thank you for helping to create a safe place where men, women, and children get to encounter the nurturing love of God.

This article first appeared in the November 2022 Mission News. See all articles here: