Tip of My Iceberg

They wouldn’t be effective goalkeepers, but they knew to stay in their place and not wander outside the box. The goal box.

We have soccer goals set up in our backyard, and much to my surprise, two young fauns wandered into our yard, standing in the goal, and eating whatever the kids had left behind when they played.

I looked around for their mom, and I didn’t see her right away.

She was standing in our neighbor’s yard, staring at me, unblinking. When I moved, her eyes moved with me.

Mom was watching the whole time.

There’s an incredible commitment of many mothers in the animal world that makes them devoted to their offspring. Deep-sea octopus mothers guard their eggs for many months, up to four and a half years for some species, not even leaving to hunt for food for themselves. Their self-sacrifice often causes death within a short time after the eggs hatch.

Polar bears are also self-sacrificing, digging snow forts to hide their babies from predators, often staying in them for up to twelve months without food or water.

Orangutans are the epitome of commitment, often nursing their young for up to eight years. The mother-child bond lasts a lifetime, with the mother teaching the offspring all the necessary survival skills they’ll need.

Not every mother is so loyal. Harp seals will be attentive for roughly twelve days, then they’ll abandon their young before the babies know how to swim or hunt for themselves.

Giant pandas often give birth to twins, but because bamboo, their natural food source, is so low in nutrients, the mother will often choose one cub to nurture and allow the other to die.

Human mothers often reflect the same behavior as animal mothers; some are caring and attentive, while others are more unaware and careless.

There are a variety of stories in the Bible of mothers who did what they could for the safety of their children. While the Israelites were being held as slaves in Egypt, Pharaoh wanted to weaken the Israelite nation, so he commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all baby boys born to Hebrew mothers. However, these women feared God more than Pharaoh, so they didn’t follow through with his orders.

Moms of sons had to be careful. When Jochabed delivered a son, she kept him hidden for three months. When she could no longer hide him, she outfitted a basket made of papyrus reeds with tar and pitch so it would float. She put her son in it, and her daughter, Miriam, followed the basket as it floated down the Nile.

Pharaoh’s daughter discovered it, and she saw that it was a Hebrew baby. Miriam came to her and asked if she could find a woman to nurse the baby for her. She got her mother, who was able to take care of her child and teach him many of the ways of his people, before she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter to be raised in the Egyptian court. This was Moses, who grew to be the one who would lead God’s people out of Egypt. Jochabed’s faithfulness to care for and protect her son was foundational in his growth as a man who would faithfully follow God.

Maternal devotion is shown throughout Scripture. These stories highlight fierce love, courage, and commitment to stay the course in times of crisis.

Like the mother deer watching carefully as her fawns played in our yard, mothers have the chance to impact, influence, and shape lives with their presence and love.

No mom is perfect.

But Mom is watching.

So is our Father in heaven.