A Mother's Love

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With God, all things are possible, he acknowledged silently. “So, how are we going to work this out so as not to embarrass her?” he muttered.

Jake thought.

They could afford cat food. That was a must. Cat litter, too. But that left only three dollars for a litter box and bowls.

Remembering being on the streets when he was a kid, he smiled. Other people had had pets, but they certainly hadn’t been able to afford all the fancy stuff advertised on these aisles as musts for cat owners. No, a simple bowl out of the kitchen and a plastic-lined box had suited them fine.

He took the two items up the cash register and paid for them, feeling guilty. Of course, what Maggie didn’t know was that he’d had the cabinets filled from their food pantry as a welcome gift from the church. So maybe this money wouldn’t be missed so much when she realized she had food.

After paying for the items, he took them out to the truck and hurried back to Maggie’s.

He knocked.

“Come in, Jake.”

He opened the door and went inside, carrying the items. “You really should have that locked.”

He stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Maggie had taken the extra pillow, put her raincoat over it, then a sheet and finally the cat on top of it.

The cat saw him and growled.

He sneezed.

Maggie looked up, noticed the bag and smiled. “Thank you.”

Jake handed her the food. “I’ll carry the litter. It’s too heavy.”

“Okay.” Maggie nodded and went into the kitchen. She rummaged around until she found two old bowls, then filled one with water and one with food.

“About the door…” he began.

“I would have had it locked, but I went out to get my suitcases. I had just gotten back in before you arrived.”

“I told you I’d get those for you,” Jake said, somehow feeling he’d failed to help her.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder at him. Jake noted the way her hair had come out of the ponytail and several strands fell loosely against her cheek. “That wasn’t necessary, Jake.”

Jake stared at her smile, thinking how soft it made her look. When she tipped her head quizzically he cleared his throat. “Oh, um…well, carrying those can’t be good for you as far along as you are.”

Maggie chuckled, finished pouring the food and brought both bowls back over to the cat. “There you go, my darlin’,” she crooned, obviously not hearing the growl when she rubbed the cat on the head.

“I’m just over seven months pregnant, Jake. I have eight weeks to go. Actually, tomorrow I’ll be seven months. Anyway, I’m big but not helpless. The doctor at the clinic told me I’d get a lot bigger the last two months.”

Jake nodded. “Elizabeth was as big as a barrel before her twins were born.”

Maggie laughed. “I hope I don’t look like a barrel.”

Jake flushed. “I didn’t mean that.”

Maggie looked up impishly. “You’re a pastor. I thought all pastors had a talent to wax eloquent.”

Her attitude surprised a laugh out of him. “I don’t know where my talent for words has gone. I have never been able to wax eloquent, Maggie-May. I’m just a country boy at heart and I’m afraid that comes out in my sermons.”

Maggie didn’t answer but slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Jake couldn’t resist the urge to reach out to her. He caught her elbow to steady her, wondering how she kept her balance.

She must have known anyway what he thought because of the knowing smile she gave him. “Thank you, Jake, for helping me today.”

Jake nodded, taking that as his cue to leave. He started toward the door.

“And thank you for the food in the cabinets.”

So, she knew about that. “That was a welcoming gift from the church. We have a food pantry, and it’s well stocked right now.”

Maggie had an unfathomable look on her face. Jake hoped he hadn’t gone too far. He waited as she studied him. Finally, she nodded. “It means a lot.”

Relieved, Jake smiled. “Good. You’re part of our family now, Maggie. You shouldn’t go in need of food or help. If you have a need, please tell someone.”

“I haven’t even attended your church yet, Jake. How can I be part of your family?”

Jake saw the yearning in her eyes and wondered at it. Was it loneliness? A desire to belong somewhere? He didn’t know, but he wanted to reassure her. “Whether you attended our church or another, we’re all family. As a Christian, that’s what God expects. But I’ve met you, you’re working for me, I know you as part of God’s family. So, we’re here for you.”

Maggie slowly shook her head, the light dimming in her eyes. “I’ve heard that preached, Jake, but I have yet to see that truly practiced.”

Jake wanted to retort that she’d been going to the wrong churches. But he didn’t He couldn’t judge what he didn’t know, where he hadn’t been. And he was glad it wasn’t his job. Instead, he said, “Give us a try. I’m not saying we’re perfect. I don’t think there’s a church that is, but God won’t fail you when we do.”

Maggie thought about what he said and nodded. God hadn’t failed her. She didn’t understand how this had happened to her, why she’d ended up pregnant, but she did know that every time she had lost a job, something had turned up almost immediately. She had never run out of food, though she had come close. And when she had been at her lowest, this man had appeared, offering her hope again—or at least it looked that way. She’d have to reserve judgment on that until later.

“No, God never fails us, does He?” she repeated softly, her heart echoing loudly in her own ears. “Thank you, Jake.”

Jake nodded. “Well, let me get out of here so you can get some sleep. Church starts at ten in the morning. I hope to see you there.”

Maggie nodded again. “Good night.”

“Good night”

Jake went out the door but paused. “Lock it before I leave the porch.”

Maggie held back a chuckle. She walked across the floor and locked the door.

She heard his feet echo on the steps and then peeked out the window. He walked—no, it reminded her more of a stroll—to his car as if he had all the time in the world, as if there weren’t any problems pressing down on his shoulders, as if he were happy and carefree. “Oh, Father, why can’t I feel like that? Where has my joy gone? Have I been down in the pit so long that I can’t see out?”

Maggie turned and headed back over to the cat, which was trying to lap up the water. “You poor thing,” she whispered, and bent down to help her.

The cat let out a whimper, then allowed her to help. “You don’t fool me. As much as you’re hurting and you act like you don’t want the help, deep down you do. Maybe you don’t realize it yet, but I’m not going to let you sit here and die of thirst when I can help you.”

A line of a song came to her: “He’s my rock, He’s my fortress, He’s my deliverer….”

“Father, You’ve been my rock, or I would have never made it this far. My fortress. I don’t know that I’ve allowed You to be that, hiding myself away. And my deliverer…”

Maggie sighed. “Please, Father, be my deliverer. Deliver me from the fear of the night, the fear of being alone…and the fear of sleeping. Jake was right You never fail. If we would only turn to You immediately, instead of hiding away, we’d be so much better off.”

Maggie felt a peace. She noted the cat had stopped drinking, having gained her fill. Maggie moved the bowl back and stood, then went to fix a box for the litter. She hadn’t thought of litter, she was glad Jake had.

“Thank You, Father for sending this man my way. Help me to learn to trust him. And keep any disasters from befalling him because of our relationship.”

She finished the box, set it next to the cat and vowed to keep an ear open in case the cat had any problems in the night.

Maggie went to her room, changed into her orange nightgown and crawled into bed. For the first time in a long time, she felt, if not total peace, then a safety knowing there was someone nearby if she needed help.

The dancing brown eyes of Jake Mathison stayed before her face as she drifted off to sleep, thinking maybe things might not be so bad after all.

Chapter Six (#ulink_13323fda-d841-5144-b707-7f22496faec3)

Maggie had heard the old saying “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.” And after all she’d been through the past six months, she should have learned that lesson.

Jake was a nice man. He seemed like a jewel after what she’d experienced. But just because he said everything would be okay didn’t mean that it would.

Oh, Maggie thought it had gone fine this morning when she’d gotten up and dressed in her nicest pants and top that fit over her tummy.

She’d walked over to church and immediately met Gage and Jennifer, who had then introduced her to Max and Kaitland, who had a newborn in her arms and two twins hanging on her legs. Kaitland—or “Katie” as Max had called her—then took her and introduced her to her brother-in-law, Rand, and his wife Elizabeth, who had a small child in her arms.

And on and on it went, until the names had blurred together. She had been pulled into the midst of these people she had read so much about in the paper.

Maggie had reveled in it. She enjoyed the warmth and joking among them before church and the worship service. This wasn’t like her old church. They were freer in the way they worshipped, had all kinds of instruments and really seemed to enjoy church, unlike her parents, who saw it as an imposition.

And then Jake had stood up to preach. He looked wonderful in his nice pair of slacks and casual blazer.

And his preaching was different from what she had heard before. It was…powerful. Not condemning, not filled with dire predictions, but filled with love and hope and promise. Oh, he did touch on the negative issues, but those issues always ended with hope. That hope was Jesus Christ.

She liked Jake’s message. It touched her heart unlike any message she had heard in a long time. And she found tears running down her face as she listened. He said that no matter what your circumstances, Jesus was the answer. He had all the answers. He loved and cared and provided, maybe not in the way people expected but in His own way.

Her heart filled with joy at Jake’s words as she realized that God would take care of the problems.

At the end, they had an altar call and then church was over.