For many, Mother’s Day is a celebration of the extraordinary commitment that mothers make towards their children and families. For millions of others it is a reminder of the unbearable pain that losing a child brings.

Women who have either lost children or been unable to have them can feel ostracised on Mother’s Day, whether they’re in Australia or elsewhere.

There is something unique about a mother’s love that reveals the character of God. The bond a mother has with her child, the sacrifices she will make to protect that child, and the nurture she provides, all show a glimpse of the love God has for each of us.

It is so tragic then that millions of mothers still suffer. It upsets me that mothers in Australia’s neighbourhood continue to die during pregnancy and childbirth, mostly from preventable causes.

The fact is that having access to maternity and basic health services could reduce maternal deaths by 80 per cent. Yet the poorest mothers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Vietnam still lack access to basic healthcare.

Jesus, as God in the flesh, reflected God’s love for mothers. He was adored by the common people, among whom were women, generally considered inferior to the so-called important people in society.

An example of this is in Luke 11 when, as Jesus was teaching the crowds, a woman yelled out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” This woman’s response to Jesus was typical, as his dignifying attitude towards them was new in that culture.

This Mother’s Day World Vision is running its Child Health Now campaign, calling on the Australian Government to:

1. Spend 20% of our country’s overseas aid budget on health services, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable women and children in our region.

2. Fund proven, cost-effective strategies that achieve healthy births and prevent deaths from pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition.

On May 11, let’s call on our government to do all it can to show mothers around the world the love that Jesus shows.

worldvision.com.au/mothersday