The last couple of weeks I’ve had the precious opportunity to ponder as our family was slightly “cocooned” together anxiously awaiting the arrival of our family’s first boy/son/grandchild/nephew.  Due to the gracious gift of a temporary housing situation that could accommodate all of us, we’ve had the privilege and blessing of experiencing his sweet arrival and new life together in a comfortable place. I’ve watched my two younger daughters become delightfully enchanted with the little guy and his dear parents transition into Mommy and Daddy without hesitation or trepidation. It has been a time to cherish and treasure. It has also given me time to consider, once again, what is truly valuable in life. What is my treasure? What is the desire of my heart and what will I do to attain it?

Along life’s journey there are events – either personal or global – that affect the entire world or simply change our own individual lives in indelible ways. It is these major occurrences that cause us to remember where we were or what we were doing when the moment became engrained in our minds. I was “iced-in” at home on a cold January morning, ironing in front of the television while watching the take-off of the Challenger, when it exploded catastrophically.  Strangely, I was also ironing the morning a friend called me to tell me to turn on the television because a plane had just flown into the World Trade Center.  Those events changed the world. Other less global occurrences have changed me.

More than 30 years ago as a young attorney, I was invited to attend a luncheon hosted by a bank our law firm represented in commercial real estate transactions.  It was a splendid, elegant affair attended by hundreds of wealthy builders, developers, land owners, bankers, real estate professionals – – most all experiencing spectacular success and wealth riding high on the crazy real estate explosion of the mid-1980’s. The guest speaker was the highly regarded news anchor David Brinkley. It was a heady experience for a young girl from eastern Kentucky.

Within a couple of years, many of those wealthy, successful attendees had lost everything. Some were bankrupt; some had lost their businesses, land, investments, developments; a few had committed suicide. Generally, only the strongest, savviest and most conservative investors and developers were able to hold on and continue their endeavors.

Seeing the extreme highs and lows of that group, their great success and wealth, their desperate loss and destruction aided in cultivating my understanding of the truly temporal nature of “things” we are encouraged to seek, work for and aspire to.  They are as easily lost as acquired – maybe even more so. They don’t bring everlasting and deep joy. They will never fill the needs and desires of our hearts.

Around the same time my husband and I attended a weekend marriage conference. One of  the speakers shared the heartbreaking story of the death of her young son. She shared that someone told her as she was grieving that her son was now her “treasure stored up in heaven” awaiting her future arrival. That same weekend a teenage boy I had babysat when he was younger was tragically killed in a car accident. All I could think about was that “treasure” stored up in heaven.  Years after that I lost a couple of babies to miscarriage – again, I thought so much about my “treasures” awaiting me.

While these aren’t the only experiences that served to form what I consider my purpose and priorities in life, they certainly contributed greatly to the equation.

What does this have to do with being a “Pondering Mom” you may ask? As I observed my three daughters serve and love and begin to cherish and treasure that new sweet little baby boy and as my husband and I got to hold him close I once again thought “there is absolutely nothing I would not do to make sure he is safe, knows he is unconditionally loved, seek to teach him to understand he is here with a purpose written especially for him before time began, and to help him understand how we will be able to spend eternity together.” There is nothing I wouldn’t do to show him relentless love and to help him know understand the relentless love of his Heavenly Father.

Most of you moms know the book “Goodnight Moon.” In fact, I’m sure most of you could recite Margaret Wise Brown’s simple tale word for word along with your children. If you’ve heard me teach or talk or speak or received a baby shower gift from me in recent years you know that I am much more enamored with Ms. Brown’s lesser known book, “The Runaway Bunny.” In that sweet, sweet story a little bunny announces to his mother that he is going to run away. Straightway the mommy bunny tells him if he does so she is going to run after him because he is her little bunny. There follows several possible scenarios the little bunny poses to flee from his mother. If he became a fish, she would become a fisherman and fish for him. If he became a crocus in a hidden garden, she would become a gardener in order to find him. The story continues until the little bunny decides he may as well just stay home if his persistent, creative, loving mother was going to chase him around the world anyway.

In one of the other scenarios the little bunny announces he is going to become a rock on a high mountain. And his mother ???  – – – she’ll just become a mountain climber to climb to where he is.

The simple story is a magnificent example of a mother’s relentless love for her child. It has been a wonderful example to me of the lengths we, as mommas, should go to never give up on our children. No matter where they go, what they do, whether you approve of their life’s choices or not – – – our love should be relentless, unconditional, persistent, exhausting – – – everything necessary to show our sons and daughters they matter, are loved, and will be “followed” no matter where they may roam.

It even points to the even deeper and more relentless love of our Heavenly Father. As exemplified in the stories of the lost sheep, lost coin and prodigal son of Luke 15, His love is not only relentless, but He will do whatever it takes to “snatch” one of His own. He will seek, He will search, He will wait, He will not grow weary.  His children are that important to Him; they are priceless treasures; they are His priority.

As that sweet little baby boy came into this world to join our family I realized there was yet another layer of relentless love for him. As much as I’ve loved my girls, cherished them, fought for them – – – and followed them and have tried to tell them as best I could of the Lord’s even more profound and relentless love for them, I slowly comprehended that I am now another level of relentless love for that little life. His precious momma will show him her own persistent and enduring love and will tell him of His loving and powerful Heavenly Father who knew about his birth before the world began. And while I won’t be there for the day to day loving and teaching and searching and holding – – – I can always show him my own tenacious love for his little life. I would do anything and go anywhere to make sure he knows who Jesus is and the love of God that surpasses any and all mountain climbing and knows exactly where we are when we run away but searches graciously for us anyway.

I learned long ago that not much about this world really matters in the long run. It is easily lost with upturns and downturns, good times and bad. What I pursue and treasure is my own choice. Sometimes my treasures won’t be long for this world. But eternity, yes – forever – is where I want my treasures to be found. And whatever I can do, whatever I can pursue, wherever I can go, whatever I can say, however much I can love my children and grandchildren to help them find the way is the purpose of my life and desire of my heart. I want them all to know they are loved . . . . relentlessly . . . . by me, but even more so by their Creator. I want to be like that mommy bunny!***
Thought to Ponder:  Are you loving your children relentlessly? No matter the circumstances of their lives do they know your love is unconditional, unwavering, persistent and permanent? Have you ascertained what you consider to be your heart’s desire? Your eternal treasure? Have you prioritized your life to allow you to seek your treasure and safeguard the hearts of your sons and daughters?

***The day before our sweet little baby boy was born was Sunday.  The following song was sung during the morning worship service we attended.  The lyrics to “Reckless Love” describe in such a better way the “overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.”  – It even sings about mountain climbing – just like the mother bunny – – –

You can listen at:  https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+reckless+love+of+god+lyrics&&view=detail&mid=C30D8B481D5D2C391DE8C30D8B481D5D2C391DE8&&FORM=VDRVRV

Reckless Love

Israel Houghton

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
O, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh oh uh uh

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
(You have been so good) you have been so, so good to me (so, so good)
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me

O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
O, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh
You keep chasing me down

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
(No, no) there’s no shadow You won’t light up
(There’s no mountain) mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me (chases me down now)
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
O, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

I thank You, Lord, I thank You, Lord, I thank You, Lord
Hey

Songwriters: Caleb Culver,Cory Asbury,Ran Jackson

© BETHEL MUSIC PUBLISHING,Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC