See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NLT)
Recently I was spending time at my daughter’s house loving on my two grandsons. This, by the way, is one of my favorite thing to do! I was holding the new baby and telling him what a precious boy he was and my oldest grandson suddenly looked at me and said “Yiayia, I still your boy?”
My heart melted. I said “Yes! You will always be my boy. Always. You are also Mommy’s boy and Daddy’s boy and Papou’s boy”….and I listed other people in his life that he adores. He was reassured by that answer and continued doing what he was doing.
Made me think of us and God. Sometimes we wonder how God can love us each equally and so intimately. It seems impossible doesn’t it? But that’s because we are only seeing with our human hearts. Think about it.
If we can love many people with the same intensity, can’t God do even more? If our hearts can grow every time someone is added “to the family” or to our world, can’t God exceed that capacity? If our faulty hearts can do that, can’t God’s perfect heart love perfectly?
But it gets even better. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus and we spend time with him, our capacity to love increases and the way we love becomes more and more selfless. Maybe that’s why God tells us to love him first and then our neighbors. If we tried to do it the other way our love would surely not be Godlike.
My grandson needed to know that he was still the apple of my eye. He doesn’t understand yet that I can love many people with all my heart. Maybe we don’t understand that about God either. But, my grandson trusts me when I tell him that he is mine. Perhaps that’s where we start with God too.