Hey, God?

You hear their breathing, right? Those three babies that grew inside my own body and all have my nose and my eyelashes and are sleeping soundly on this Mother's Day night...You hear the constant deep breaths of their slumber in this quiet house. And You feel this same passionate love rooted so deep it's woven in every molecule of Your Being like the DNA they share with me?

Being their mother has brought about the fiercest love I've ever known. Their tears, their expectations, their feelings, their needs, their little souls...every single thing that matters to them matters to me. Because you see, God, they are flesh of my flesh. My heart walking around outside my body. I've endured morning sickness and pregnancy anxiety and the terrible pain of labor and traumatic births, but the first look at them makes it all worth it. I've fed each one and held their tiny bodies against my skin and prayed a thousand prayers for their lives and their hearts. I've rocked them during sleepless nights and kissed their tears away and sang lullabies in their ears. I've seen their bodies get bruised and their feelings get hurt and wished I could shield them from the messy stuff that life brings. I've answered their tough questions about life and loss and You. And these children -- the ones whose breathing fills my ears -- they bring constant joy and wild loyalty and the heavy responsibility of Love.

So tonight, as my babies are all tucked in bed with the remnants of my lullabies serenading their dreams, I can't help but think about You, the creator of motherhood and the very Being of Love. And I remember all the times You've whispered comfort in my ear, and the times You've rocked me in your arms through the torrent of life, and the heart-wrenching sacrifices You've made so I can be with You. It's hard to grasp with my heart and not just my head, but God? If Your love for me is even a fraction as relentless and all-consuming as the love I have for my three babies, I have absolutely no choice but to be compelled to love You back.

Happy Mother's Day to You.

"For the love of Christ compels us."  2 Cor 5:14

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Is 66:13