Isaiah 49:15 is one of my favorite verses because it demonstrates the love of God, the father, towards his children. His love even surpasses the love a mother can have for her child. It is almost unfathomable to think that a mother could abandon her child and that is why God uses it to demonstrate the greatness of his love. And it is great and a wonderful comfort, especially for those who have experienced rejection and abandonment. And in Guatemala, God brought this verse to life for me.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
Isaiah 49:15 (ESV)
During my most recent trip to Guatemala, I witnessed the best and worst of motherhood. In the midst of extreme poverty, you still see mothers care for their young. Babies cling to their mother’s breasts and even when not nursing, they find comfort in their mother’s touch. And mothers tenderly return the affection. On one occasion, I saw a mother struggling to eat her “shuco,” an incredibly messy version of a hot dog, while she held on to her baby. In my feeble attempts to help this young mom, I offered to hold her baby so she would have the liberty to use both hands. The baby cried the whole time, desperately looking for her mom, no matter what I did to comfort her. Poor mom scarfed down her hot dog and quickly retrieved her crying baby who immediately stopped at her mother’s embrace.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? “
We hosted an awesome event for our scholarship kids at the community center in Santa Rosita. The kids enjoyed steak tacos, a Bible lesson, and games and songs from a local and brilliant entertainer. Giggles and laughter constantly surged from their lips. We topped off the event with a couple of piñatas. Because the community center is so small, we only allowed kids to come in, but parents could watch their kids from right outside of the chain-linked fence. It was mostly mothers who sat outside, for a couple of hours in that blistering heat, watching their kids. Maybe they just wanted to witness the smiles on their kids’ faces like I did when I would take my daughters to birthday parties or school activities. Or maybe they were just keeping a watchful eye making sure their kids were okay.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? “
At various events, we handed out donations to moms and kids. We have to maintain a certain level of strictness otherwise we will be overrun with requests for donated items. We also have to limit what we give to each family to make sure we have enough for everyone and for future activities. We also know that some individuals will sell the donated items they are given so we also have to carefully screen recipients so that those who are in most need do not walk away empty-handed. But it never fails, moms will come to ask for an extra shirt or an extra hair bow. It makes me smile on the inside. Of course, moms will advocate for their children. It is what moms do.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?”
Having witnessed all these caring, loving moms, the response to this question that wants to leave my lips is “no.” Sadly, however, I know that is not the case. And while I saw many times the beautiful bond between a mom and her children, I also saw the unthinkable.
The final event for the weekend had ended and we were closing up. I had said all my goodbyes and was about to jump in the van to head back to the mission house. That is when I saw a little four-year-old girl walking away sobbing. I will call her Yasmin to protect her identity. I saw her two sisters nearby, so I called them to ask what was happening. They informed me that they were headed to their father’s house, but their father doesn’t allow Yasmin to come in because she is not his daughter. Yasmin’s mother was nowhere to be found, a common occurrence in their family. Yasmin, a four-year-old, was heading home to an empty house. She was scared and felt so alone.
Of course, with the help of some of our church members, we arranged care with one of her neighbors. But I know this girl well, and her circumstances. She is as cute as a button and lights up my world when I see her and her sisters. But I also know that she and her eight-year-old sister are not enrolled in school. While Yasmin is still young, her sister is two years behind. Our mission in Guatemala gives kids like this scholarships so that they can go to school, but their mother has never registered them in school. We suspect that part of that reason was that she never actually got them birth certificates. We had made several attempts to help this mom get the necessary documentation to enroll them, but she gave us the runaround.
When I left Guatemala, I left with a pit in my stomach. Without birth certificates, these girls don’t exist in Guatemala. And without birth certificates, these girls would never go to school. We couldn’t call social services, because all the kids would just be put in an orphanage damning them to a worse fate than their current situation. There is no point in going into further detail about the neglect these four children experience on a day-to-day basis, but for me, it was enough to emotionally drain me just thinking about it.
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?”
Yes she can. I witnessed it in the life of these four children and we have all seen it in one way or another or maybe even experienced it. But the verse doesn’t end there.
“Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
God does not forget. As I prayed fervently for these kids, I reminded God of that very verse (as if He needed reminding). But my feeble heart could do only that, repeat the scriptures in front of me. And in that prayer, I remembered that when things seem impossible, it is He who can find a way. He did indeed show me that he does not forget.
Yesterday, I got the news from our mission director in Guatemala. He was able to obtain birth certificates for the two girls. I don’t know how he got this mom to do what she needed to do, but I do know one thing for sure, God was in the middle of it. Only days ago, this was an impossible situation that required a miracle. A miracle for a heart change in a neglectful mother. A miracle to break through the red tape that is the Guatemalan government bureaucracy. A miracle so two little girls could go to school. A miracle that now has become a reality.
Yes, He will not forget.
About the Writer:
Luisa Rodriguez is a military wife and a mom to two girls. She is the creator and writer of FruitfullyLiving.com, a website that helps women understand their God-given roles and purpose according to the scriptures. She is also the creator and writer of BiblicalWarfare.com where the reader can learn about the Bible’s battles and warriors.
Luisa authored A Royal Mission, a Christian fairytale that teaches young girls about identity and purpose, Preparing Our Daughters for Puberty, a mother-daughter Bible study, and soon-to-be-released Holy Boundaries, Sexuality Bible Study for Teens and Parents. She is also the creator and designer of numerous notebooks and journals.
Follow Luisa
- Twitter: @FruitfullyLive
- Facebook: @FruitfullyLiving
- Instagram: @FruitfullyLiving