I Love You More Than Mom.
I was dying. I was sure of it. Tears dropped into the toilet as my body shook with the next wave of nausea. I was about 8 or 9 years old and merely had the stomach flu. However, my mind jumped to a dark place because a family friend had tragically lost their two-year-old son to some disease that I didn’t understand, and I feared I’d caught what had taken his precious little life.
My mom must have heard me, because she came into the bathroom, bleary-eyed and tying the sash on her robe. She kneeled beside me and rubbed my back. Between bouts of shaking and throwing up, I asked her if I was going to die. She hugged me as tight as she could while I still held the toilet bowl, and told me I was going to be fine, but I persisted in asking about the little boy who died while succumbing to tears. She continued to hold me and explained that the disease he’d had wasn’t something I could catch.
The relief that her words and her love provided wiped away all my fear in that moment. Eventually, my nausea subsided, and she helped me back into bed, tucked me in, and stayed by me until I drifted off to sleep. My mother’s reassurance and love made the world right again.
I thought of that night on numerous occasions when, I too walked into the bathroom and knelt by one of my sons as he was sick, when I changed the sheets at 2 am because someone hadn’t made it into the bathroom in time, or when I showered at 3 am because I finally got the baby back to sleep after he emptied his sick stomach all down the front of me.
It sounds gross, but I didn’t care about the puke or not getting a wink of sleep. In that moment, all I cared about was that my boys felt better. My heart broke for them, and I wanted to ease their pain. I would have taken the illness on myself if it were possible.
That’s why the words from Isaiah 66:13 are so powerful to me, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” God’s heart breaks when his children are in pain. He remains close to the brokenhearted and sends His Spirit to comfort us in our times of need (Psalm 34:18).
God sees our fears, anxieties, and stress, and He desires to give us His peace. Not a single tear or detail goes unnoticed. Matthew 10:29-31 states, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Being a mom has shown me an aspect of what God feels toward us, but it doesn’t touch the full depth of God’s love. His love is greater than we can fathom. Isaiah 49:15-16 says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
A mom’s sacrificial love is incredible, but God’s love for us is greater: amazing, vast, and awe-inspiring. And the best part is that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
A special thank you to all the sacrificial and loving moms. Wishing you a blessed and happy Mother’s Day This Weekend!