An Unconditional Love by Summer Neely

On April 4, 2024, my life completely changed. I became a Mama. I welcomed the most beautiful baby boy into the world. He is everything I could have dreamed of. In my eyes, he is perfect. He is mine.

I have learned so much just in these first few months as Clay’s mama. But one thing I finally am able to understand is what people mean when they say you love your children unconditionally. There’s nothing in this world Clay could do to make me love him any less. There’s nothing that could stop me from being there when he needs me. I pray he always knows now matter how much trouble he is in, he can call his mama. I hope he knows if it came down to it, I would give my life for his. 

1 John 3:1 states “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children - and we are!” 

As I sit here rocking my sweet little baby, I finally get it. I now understand why God never forsakes me. I am his child. I am the daughter he loves unconditionally. There is nowhere I can go that he will not follow. There is nothing I can do or say to make him love me any less. He loved me so much that Jesus gave his life for me. So that I would not live an eternal life of suffering. 

So the next time I catch myself saying I am unworthy, I am a mess, I am not loved…I will remind myself that my Heavenly Father does not think these things of me. He sees me as the child he can’t imagine life without. He sees me as worthy, as beautiful, as the woman he created me to be.  I will remind myself God looks at me the same way I look at my son. And there is nothing I could ever do to change that.

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A little bit about Summer...

I am happily married to Dustin (aka Neely) and a full-time working mom of a one-year-old. I serve on the church’s small group and creative teams. I love Target runs, baking when I can, and anything true crime. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego recently reminded me that God calls us by name and is with us, even in the fire.