52 Fridays: Love

There are somethings you can't possibly understand until you experience them. A mother's love is one such thing. I've always known that my mama loves me and that I would love my children. I couldn't fully comprehend the magnitude of that love, until I became a mother. People tell you that you'll fall in love when you meet your child, but words cannot truly express what that love feels like. Being Hannah's mommy is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I am so honored and blessed that God chose me to be her mother.

(Photos by Hope Toliver)

I know that Hannah knows that I love her. Aside from the fact that I tell her all the time, I think she can feel the love. My love for her is pure and unconditional. A man I met recently said John 3:16 takes on a whole new meaning after you have kids. It took me a minute to really get what he was saying. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I could not imagine giving up my only baby girl. Yes Jesus rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, but he also suffered the weight of our sins on the cross. I could not imagine watching my child suffer on a cross. Her 10 1/2 week stay in the NICU was not the easiest thing I've experienced. To think that God loved us enough to send His only son, so that we can be engrafted into God's family...it blows my mind. The love that God has for us is hard to comprehend. I know that God loves me. I feel that love. Becoming a mother has given me a greater understanding of true love. I have a new frame of reference. If only I had a better vocabulary to articulate my feelings. The good news is, for now "Mommy loves you so much" seems to work.