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It was the evening of April 8, 2002. The kids and I had been taking turns checking on Satin, a Racking Horse mare who was due to foal any day. The foal was going to be my horse and I was looking forward to raising and training her. I was scheduled to check on her at around 2 am, but a little after midnight I decided to go to the barn a little early.
 Sure enough Satin was having the foal right then. I could feel my heart pounding I was so excited. I wanted to go wake everyone so they could come out to the barn, but at the same time I didn't want to leave the baby. I quickly ran to the house and pounded on the window hoping it would wake someone up and then ran back to the barn.
The foal was not moving and Satin was not showing any interest in her baby at all. I quickly cleared the foal's mouth so she could breath and began drying her off. By then my daughters had joined me at the barn. It was interesting to see the foal attempt to stand. The filly was a bit on the small side and didn't seem terribly strong, but she was determined to stand and after a few failures finally made it up on her wobbly legs.
 We gently guided the foal to Satin's side, knowing that it was important for her to begin nursing soon. I was surprised and a little distressed when Satin put her ears back and lifted up a hind leg showing signs of kicking at the foal. This was definitely not how things were supposed to proceed according to the foaling books I had read. After a few more attempts it became quite clear that Satin was not pleased that she was suddenly sharing a stall with this strange little creature. By then it was about 3 am. I hated to wake my vet up in the middle of the night, but it seemed very likely that Satin might hurt the foal.
The vet arrived within an hour and gave Satin a tranquilizer to calm her. The foal was then able to nurse a bit. She left another tranquilizer with instruction to to use it in several hours if Satin still hadn't accepted the foal after the effects of the first tranquilizer wore off. We were to call the vet at around noon to let her know how things were going. My middle daughter and I stayed up the rest of the night keeping an eye on the mother and baby. After several hours Satin began to get ugly with the foal again so we gave her the second tranquilizer.
By noon the next day, however, Satin had undergone a total transformation. I couldn't believe this was the same horse that was nipping and kicking at her foal just a few hours earlier. Her motherly instincts finally kicked in and she suddenly became the most possessive and protective parent I had ever seen. Several times in those first weeks she charged at me with her teeth bared when I came into their pen.
 This has been a long lead in to this Scriptural illustration, I know, but it was a very powerful lesson for me. Psalm 27:10 “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.”
My horror that Satin at first rejected her own daughter pales in comparison with the realization that many human mothers and fathers reject or harm their children every day. God intended parents to love, protect, and care for their children, but that doesn't always happen. Psalm 27 assures us that even if we are rejected by earthly parents, God will never forsake us. He will always be there for us and loves us with an everlasting love.
As intense as Satin's newly discovered “love” for her baby was, God's love for us goes immeasurably beyond that. In fact it is impossible for us to fully comprehend God's love. As a mother, when my children question how much I love them, I remind them of the ferocity of Satin's devotion to her little filly, Keziah. That is how intense my love for my own children feels. When I consider the intensity of that love, again I can only marvel at God's love for me which far surpasses even a mother's love for her children.
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