Not Forgotten

By: Joanne Viola

Giving birth to a child is probably the most momentous event of a woman’s life. It may, perhaps, be even more so than her wedding day. Not sure. All I know is I can vividly remember the birth of my two children. Each of those days, left a deep mark on my heart that will never be erased.

Now that I am thinking about it, the whole birthing process never leaves us quite the same. That “mark”, etched deeply, forever changes us. We never look at those persons quite the same. Ever.

When they are small, we look at them with mixed emotions of awe and fear. We look in awe at this tiny person who was created, and grew in utter perfection within us. We are overwhelmed with the fact that, surely, there was Someone much bigger, more powerful, and much more wiser than ourselves involved in this creation.

We look in fear at this tiny person as we become overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility. We acknowledge it is a responsibility larger than we ourselves are capable of handling. Every glance at our little one reminds us we need Someone much bigger, much more powerful, much more wiser than ourselves to raise this creation to adulthood.

Over the course of time, that “fear” will drive us to our knees and to God more often than we are able to count. No matter how big they get, we will still be driven to our knees over their circumstances, hurts, and disappointments.

This stems from the fact that they have “marked” us for life. The umbilical cord was severed only to create this invisible cord connected to our hearts.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and
have no compassion on the son of her womb?” 
(Isaiah 49:15a, NASB)

It is with relief I realize, God has wired us women exactly in this way. He designed it such that it would be unnatural, if you would, for a mom to forget or withhold compassion from her child. I will forever love and pray for my children. No matter their size, no matter how old, or independent, or how how far they may go.

The fact that I feel this way towards those I birthed has served to demonstrate the love that God has towards us. That portion of Scripture goes on to say:

“Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands … ”
(Isaiah 49:15b-16a, NASB)

He can never forget us because He, too, just like me, was “marked” the day that I was born again. He bears that mark on His palms.

And there is more:

“Your walls are continually before Me.”
(Isaiah 49:16b, NASB)

When these words were spoken, it was the walls of Jerusalem which God had in mind. God kept watch over His beloved city, and this speaks to me of His caring watch over our homes and families as well.

He will never forget any one of us.
He will never stop loving us.
You are not forgotten.

 

Reflection:
Do you ever feel forgotten? What do you do to combat those feelings?

 

Image by Maria Karysheva from Pixabay