I love you THISSSSSS much!!!!!

I love you THISSSSSS much!

The other morning I was watching my 4 year old little boy playing in the sink. I was overwhelmed all of the sudden with just how much I loved him. I told him, "Kolt, I love you!" Without even looking at me, he said, "love you too." It just wasn't enough for me! I said, "No, Kolt I mean I REALLY LOVE you!!!". Again without even looking at me, he repeats, "love you too mom." I was hit with the realization that he had no clue how much I really love him, or what I would do for him.

How many times a day does God get overwhelmed with the thought that He REALLY loves us? I look back over my day and realize that He was trying to truly tell me, and I must have responded with a simple, "love you too", if I even responded at all.

 

I wanted to grab Kolt and make him look me in the face until he realized that I really, really loved him. But I think even then, he wouldn't be able to fully understand. He can't fully understand because he doesn't fully know the whole story. He sees Luke and I for who we are supposed to be; his parents. Our jobs are to feed, clean, and play with him. If we are doing that then he is good to go. Not too much more to think about. But on our side of it, it is about sacrifices. The more we sacrifice, the more we love. That is my theory at least.

Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 both say the same thing:

"where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

My heart used to be wrapped up in things that I wanted, places I wanted to go, games that I wanted to play. Now my days are wrapped up in fruit loops, candy land, and swing sets. But you know what? I love it! It has come at a cost, though. The cost is giving of yourself for the happiness and goodness of another person. It is hard not to get selfish and greedy. But in the end, it is worth it. I know that none of my 3 kids can comprehend until they have given of themselves as we have for them.

 

It is because of this that I know that I will never be able to understand God's Love for me either! I try. I certainly feel it at times! But when He is really trying to tell me, I know that I probably make Him frustrated when my answer is nonchalantly "yeah I know!" But He still keeps on loving me!

Psalms 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Do you know how many times the phrase "His Love endures forever" is mentioned in the Bible? 41! There are times that I don't feel like loving. I get hurt and disappointed. I get frustrated and mad! It makes this verse so much more impactful doesn't it? When we don't feel like loving, He never quits! When we feel like walking away, He promises to always be there!

I understand more clearly now why the first part of the verse is there. Thank You ~Thank You~ Thank You~ that Your Love endures forever! What would we do if He got upset and reacted like we do? This thought alone, makes me want to praise Him for being who He is rather than who I am!

 

Most of us would lay down our lives for our kids, wouldn't we? At all cost we would protect them! You would, most likely, not even need to think about your reaction. It would just happen, without regret. Sacrificial Love.

 

Now think about laying down your own child's life for the life of someone else. Could you volunteer to do that? Even if you knew that the people would not even be thankful for your sacrifice? Even if you knew that people would forget all about it? I honestly can say that I don't think I could ever do that! But God did! There was no one else standing in line and raising their hand to go first! He knew what needed to be done and He did it!

 

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 

This is why I know without a shadow of a doubt, that I can't comprehend how much He loves me! I can never give what He gave! He gave the unthinkable because He loved me and you! Even knowing that we would reject His gift and spit in His face! The truth is: you and I were worth it for Him! How can we ever truly thank Him? A lifetime of loving Him is all He requires, but it doesn't seem even close to being able to cover the cost!

 

You hear of parents giving up on their kids. You hear of parents leaving them behind. I personally can't even imagine. I can see kids getting so mad that they leave you, but never a parent. Sadly, it happens every day. Thankfully with God though, He promises that nothing can separate us from Him. Romans 8:39 "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
We can get mad, we can wander away, we can say hurtful things. But He still will fight for us and love us like crazy! Just like the prodigal child, He will be waiting with open arms! Satan will try his hardest, but he can't separate us! Others may laugh and point and call us names, but they can't separate us! We serve a God that pursues us and wants nothing else but to have us walking in His truth! He has given the greatest sacrifice for us to have a glimpse of what true love is.

 

My kids have taught me many things, but none with the same meaning as when they spread their arms really wide and say, "mommy I love you THiSSSSSS much!". I think, at this point, that they might, just might understand how much I truly love them! It's with this analogy that I kind of begin to understand just how much God loves me too.

 

He watched His only Son spread His arms on that cross. It was as if He was saying right to me: "I love you thissssss much!" Amen!

 

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."