A mother’s love is truly one of the strongest forces in the world. I was recently reminded of this when I heard an amazing story about a mother named Debby, whose son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctors told her that he would never walk, and discouraged his mother from even letting him crawl.

But Debby refused to believe her child’s future would not include the joy of exploring the world around him, and the abundance of new life that it offered. So she took matters into her own hands. Through a process of trial and error, she modified a baby carrier into a standing harness, and fitted a pair of toddler’s shoes alongside her own. Once she strapped her son in, this unique technology allowed him to walk upright with her, while leaving his hands free to play and explore as they both took his first steps together.

This story reminded me of another parent, and the lengths he went to for the children that he loved. I’m talking about our heavenly Father and his love for you and me. Seeing us immobilized by our fallen nature, he “strapped himself in” alongside us, taking on our human form and living life amongst his own children. His steps become our steps, leading us by example and through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit into the abundance of new life that he offers through salvation. See how the book of Hebrews puts it:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV)

The love of our Triune God is not the love of a distant relative. It is the strong, wildly creative love of a parent who refused to let anything stand between us and the joy of exploring the new life he offered. So this Mother’s Day, I pray that you would know the blessing of that love as it overflows into all of your relationships.