WHEN IT'S YOUR CHILD

WHEN IT’S YOUR CHILD

In a Thomas Nelson publication, entitled “You Don’t Have to Be Blind to See,” Jim Stovall penned a poignant tale that reveals the awesome power of love.

There were two warring tribes in the Andes Mountains region.  One tribe resided in the lowlands and the other lived high up in the mountains.  When the mountain people invaded the lowlanders, they captured the baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains.

Rescue efforts were stalled because the lowlanders didn’t know how to climb the mountain.  They didn’t know any of the trails that the mountain people used; they didn’t know where to find the mountain people; and, they didn’t know how to track them in this steep terrain.  Even so, they dispatched their best group of fighting men with the intention of climbing the mountain and bringing the lost baby home.

Those men attempted one method of climbing and then another.  They tried one trail and then another.  Yet, after several days of strenuous effort, they had climbed only several hundred feet.  Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that their cause was lost and prepared to return to the village below.

As they packed their gear for the descent, they saw the missing baby’s mother walking toward them. Suddenly, they realized she was coming down the mountain that they hadn’t figured out how to climb.  And then, miracle of miracles, they saw that she had the young baby strapped on her back.  ‘How could this possibly be?’ they wondered frantically among themselves.

The leader of the search party came forward and greeted the woman with these words: “We could not climb this mountain.  How did YOU do it when the strongest and most skillful men in the village could not do it?”

The mother’s answer was quite simple.  She shrugged her shoulders and said, “It wasn’t your baby.”

Stovall’s story of maternal love reminds me of THE ONE who sacrificed all and suffered more than we could imagine to secure our salvation when we were totally lost and our deliverance seemed quite distant and inaccessible.  Many talented people in biblical history gave it their level best.  Patriarchs made every effort to rescue us; prophets tried heroic attempts; and, neither judges or priests could transport us to the throne of grace.  Even the very detailed Law of God failed to secure our salvation.

But Heaven was compassionately attentive.  OUR FATHER was absolutely aware of our plight.  Understand this: YOU AND I ARE HIS BABIES!  And when the lives of YOUR CHILDREN are on the line, you are more than willing and ready to brave any extremes.  So neither death, hell, the grave, or Satan, could prevent HIM from scaling our insurmountable mountain of sin and shame to save us.  THE FATHER sent HIS SON, and the Son willingly sacrificed His life to redeem us.  Thank you, JESUS!  We are Yours – forever.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!