These are the first lines of the children's nursery book, Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. I love this book, and I have read it many times to every one of our grandchildren! A little bunny tells his mother all of the different ways he would try to run away from her.
"If you run after me," said the little bunny, "I will become a fish in a trout stream and I will swim away from you."
Mama bunny responds by saying, "If you become a fish in a trout stream, I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you."
The little bunny says he will become a bird and fly away, or a little sailboat and sail away—and if those don't work, he will run away and join the circus! Surely that will silence his mama, the little bunny thought to himself.
Time after time, she shares the same relentless promise to pursue and find him. Why? Because that's what mamas do! That's what love does.
"If you become a rock on the mountain high above me," said his mother, "I will become a mountain climber, and I will climb to where you are."
Did Margaret Wise Brown capture the love of a mama, or what? This kind of love is necessary and relentless!
Some of us may be empty nesters with grown children, but that doesn't mean our days of running after children or guiding young ones toward maturity should ever be over. I want to cheer for the mothers who are willing to run!
Here's to all the women who desire to be godly mothers.
• To girls who daydream of having a child someday.
• To wives who haven't been able to conceive.
• To those who gave a child up for adoption, or lost a baby in miscarriage.
• To mothers who have loved and grieved the loss of a child.
• To mothers of prodigals, whose hearts are broken over their children.
• To mamas of little ones and older ones, toddlers and teenagers.
• To mothers and grandmothers who faithfully continue to nurture and instill the Word of God by their words and works.
Here's to all the women who desire to be godly spiritual mothers. Every one of us who are mature in the faith can—and should—rise up as mothers in the church.
Why not lend a hand in the youth ministry, to help disciple young women? Volunteer to hold babies in the nursery, or serve in children's ministry, so a young mom can attend worship service. Maybe you would be willing to take a foster child into your home. If you have experienced comfort after a great loss, could you hold the hand of another grieving mother? Would you be willing to faithfully pray for another women's prodigal to come home? Who might be sitting next to you, longing to be poured into?
Never underestimate the power of your life lessons; they may be the very thing God will use to help someone else.
One day, when Jesus was passing by and the crowds were following Him, a woman cried out, "Blessed is the womb that bore you!" He replied, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:27-28). There can be no barrenness in the life of a believing woman. By God's grace, we all can "bear fruit and multiply" and fill the earth.
Chase after those runaway bunnies the Lord would have you nurture. Love doesn't have to be complicated; it just has to be intentional. Being a mother isn't easy. (Can I get an amen?) But oh, how we know it is so worth it! Don't ever question your usefulness and value to the household of God.
If you are intentional about serving others, there will never be a time in your life when you will be an empty nester. Blessed are you who do the will of the Father in Heaven—you are mothers who run!
(Originally posted on Virtue 5/2018)
Dr. Dobson interviews Cathe Laurie on the daily broadcast.
On this broadcast, Cathe Laurie talks to Dr. Dobson about the incredible love and admiration she has for her husband, Pastor Greg Laurie. She also describes her role at Harvest Christian Fellowship, and shares insights from her book As I See It.
Then on Day 2, Dr. Dobson concludes his conversation with Cathe Laurie. Cathe opens up about her son Christopher's sudden death in a car accident, how her family continued to trust God through the hardship, and her heart for evangelism.
Learn More about the Guest
Cathe Laurie is the wife of Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside California and speaker for the Harvest Crusades. She has been instrumental in starting Harvest's Women's Ministry, and has served as its director for four decades. She has co-authored two books with her husband Greg titled Happily Even After and the Pray America Prayer Journal. Cathe's newest book is titled As I See It. She and Greg have been married for 45 years, and have 2 children and 5 grandchildren.
