Regardless

Having a newborn in the house again has been an adjustment. You forget how tiring it is, no matter how many children you've had. When I look at my three week old son, I see this tiny, helpless baby. He cannot feed himself or change his own diaper. He cannot bathe himself or get himself dressed. He can barely even respond with a smile when I talk softly to him or sing him a lullaby. There are no squeezes of hugs or soft kisses in return, on my cheek. He doesn't help me take out the garbage or clean the bathroom or sweep the driveway. There are no chores that he can possibly help me with right now. He is totally helpless.

Yet, when I look at him, my heart overflows with love and adoration for this tiny, helpless being. He hasn't earned my love or even asked me to give it, yet it's his.

In the same way, we don't deserve the jobs we have, the children we love or the house we live in. We haven't earned the air we breathe or the flowers in our yard or the beautiful sunshine. Yet God freely gives it to us. There are so many blessings that He gives us everyday, blessings we often miss by being so wrapped up in our little worlds.

My tiny son will continue to grow and get stronger. Over time, our relationship will evolve and he will begin to return my love. He will learn that I will never leave him and not come back. I will never purposely hurt him or let him down. He will know that I can be trusted to have his best interests at heart. And he will know that no matter what mistakes he may make over time, that he can never, ever lose my love.

The closer you get to God, the more you will see that He feels all that and more for you. He longs to wrap you in His arms and hear you call Him, "Abba, Father". He loves you enough to let His own Son die in your place, just so that you could be together for all eternity. I don't know of a better way He could show us how much He loves us than that! I honestly cannot think of anyone I would want to save that I would sacrifice my own child in their stead. But He thinks you are worth that sacrifice. He loves you despite your faults, regardless of your failures, and in spite of your past. Bask in the glow of His love today!

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8