Cherish These Moments

That tiny little hand closed around my finger for the first time. I held him close, skin to skin, in sheer amazement at the life God had grown inside of me. All of the discomfort, quick runs to the bathroom, morning sickness and pain suddenly faded into the distant past as this new little life captured my heart. Cherish these moments, was the whisper I heard in my heart.

I heard the feet coming down the hall at a dead run. Those feet never slowed down, even in his sleep. Quickly, I adjusted the pillow, pulled back the covers, and waited on my little boy to dive into bed and snuggle up beside me. He rolled over, wrapped his arm around me, and was sound asleep in a matter of seconds. I laid there with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Cherish these moments, was the whisper I heard in my heart.

He slipped his hand into mine as we walked down the dirt road on our farm. I gently squeezed it as I listened to his countless questions about everything around us. Suddenly he broke free and ran towards a clump of weeds. When he came back, he had a giant smile across his face as he handed me a yellow wildflower. “It was all alone and needed a friend, so I picked it for you,” he said. I slid the flower behind my ear and gripped his hand once more. Cherish these moments, was the whisper I heard in my heart.

Mary and Joseph searched frantically for Jesus. They ran from cart to cart seeing if he was with a friend or relative. Finally, they turned around and went back to Jerusalem where they found Jesus, three days later, teaching in the temple. At first, they were frustrated, but Jesus responded,

“Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49, NAS).

Mary took in the scene, probably remembering the angel that visited her and the promises that surrounded her precious son. Luke 2:51b (NAS) says,

“And his mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

Just like Mary, we as mothers treasure so many special things in our hearts. Every second we get with our children is a special gift from God. Right now, my boys are young, but in the blink of an eye, they will be teenagers and then out on their own starting a family for themselves. I want to raise them up in Christ and teach them how to be men of God. I want to love them big and love them well. And I want to cherish every single moment.  

He climbed in my lap and rested his head on my shoulder. His legs appeared longer and his little boy face seemed to have grown up overnight. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him with one of those forever kind of hugs. Before long, a tickle match broke out and we both spilled out of the chair onto the floor. Cherish these moments, was the whisper I heard in my heart.

“I sure will, God,” I whispered back. “With all my heart.”

Copyright © Christy Bass Adams, used with permission.