Every Day is Mothers Day!

We saw the parade again Sunday !  Rounding the same curve as last week on the way to church, there they were!  Three grown geese crossing the road followed single-file by a string of goslings, a little bigger than last week.  I guess Mom goose had her mate and a mother's helper with her, since it was Mother's day!  Since we were on the same time schedule, perhaps they were on their way to church, too!  After all, some people say they worship outdoors in nature!

My husband has sold the three little pigs.  Mama pig was very unhappy about it, although the last of her litter were "teenagers."  This normally placid, sweet-natured sow turned into a squealing, teeth-baring, protective mama at the sight of her babies being taken away.  They were not even in the same pen as their mother, but close enough that she always kept an eye on them.

Sadly, sometimes animals are better parents than people. God has put in them protective, mothering instincts that many in our society deny or ignore. Isaiah 49:15 asks, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee."

I Kings 3:16-28, gives the story of two mothers, one compassionate and the other not at all.  It is the account of the famous decision made by King Solomon when the mothers of newborns, one living and one dead in the night, disputed over the live baby.  It was only when the wise king called for a sword to divide the baby in half that the real mother was revealed.  She was willing to give up the child to spare his life, while the other mother wanted him killed.  The king rescinded his order, awarding the baby to its rightful mother.

"And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment." I Kings 3:26. Would that our laws and leaders today let innocents live, rather than frivolously allowing them to be destroyed in the womb!

God assures us that He cares for us and will never forget us, saying in Isaiah 49:16, "Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."  When my husband wants to remember something, he often writes it in his hand, which is fine until he washes his hands. Jesus had us in mind when the nails pierced His hands, and the scars an ever-present reminder of why He died.  Perhaps the walls are the protection and concern for our well-being that He has for us.

We put farm animals in pens for their protection and security, and mother hens hide chicks under their wings. I have read that a goose will even spread her wings over her goslings and push them underwater until danger is past. The psalmist David implored God to "Hide me under the shadow of thy wings."  Again scripture says in Psalm 91:4, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust."

Mothers have an enormous responsibility and privilege in rearing children, and mother love is strong, even in creatures.  May we look to God in this tremendous charge and find comfort and assurance under His wings. He is mighty to save!