In the last few days I have been challenged twice with this thought: “Maybe God gave me my children (Lexi and Isaac), so that I would understand his love for me as His child.”
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:2&3
When I picked up by bible and began reading the book of Isaiah today I was immediately struck by these verses, because God spoke of the nation of Israel as his children! My heart began to break as I continued to read about the judgment and punishment Israel would face for turning it’s back on God, as he warned them it would if they did not become “willing and obedient.”
Words cannot express the love that I have for Lexi and Isaac. They are my children. I love playing with them, I love being able to watch them grow and continue to develop personalities, and I love being their dad! As a result of that, every day, I passionately pray that God would draw them to Himself, so that they may know Him the way I do. There is nothing on this earth that I want more than to see my children passionately love God. With that being said, I cannot imagine how God felt seeing his children walk so far away from him, and so deliberately. They were so easily swayed!
This is all still very fresh on my mind. I am certain that God is not finished teaching me through this perspective. But, I tell you what I have learned. I have learned to understand God’s love for me on a whole new level. My mind cannot fathom having a deeper love than the love that I have for my kids. But, I am a finite and sinful human being, meaning that Gods love for me, as His child is infinitely greater than the love I have for my children; and that, ladies and gentlemen, blows me away!
Mike, thank you for sharing. It was my "ah-ha" moment during the last trimester with my first child that I really understood Jesus' love for me. As I rubbed my belly and thought about how much I LOVED this life inside me and I didn't even know her yet, I was floored by the understanding that if I could love this much, how much MORE must God love me. That was really and truly the moment that I 100% accepted Jesus into my heart and accepted his forgiveness and even had the strength to forgive myself.
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