Reminded of Love

Over the past year I’ve noticed my wife doing something peculiar. I say peculiar not because the act itself is strange or odd but because of the timing of the act.

When our youngest daughter was just a few weeks old she became colicky. I’m talking all-out screaming from early evening to late into the night. Non-stop. We tried everything, home remedies, all-natural remedies, pharmaceutical remedies. Nothing helped. Nothing eased her discomfort. As a parent you feel awful for your little one but at the same time the constant crying wears on already thin nerves. Patience runs short. Nerves begin to fray.

And that’s when I noticed it first. While I was at the end of my sanity, Jen would take our baby into her arms, our baby that had the lungs of a howler, cradle her and tell her repeatedly, “I love you.” As time wore on I could tell Jen’s nerves were about as taut as they could get too and yet she continued to remind our child that Mommy loved her.

And now that little girl is just over a year. The colic has long stopped but she still has moments of fussiness, moments where she can’t settle down, won’t eat her food or take her sippy cup, times when she refuses to sleep even though her eyes are begging to close. (If you’re a parent you know those times quite well.) And even now, during those times of unrest and stress Jen takes our daugher into her arms and whispers to her, “I love you.”

Every time I see Jen remind our child just how much she is loved it makes me think of our Father in heaven. I can be so impertinent and whiney too, even rebellious and disobedient. Sometimes I push and push and won’t give an inch. Sometimes I become so self-absorbed I hardly notice He’s even there. I take my own road, make my own path, do my own thing. I complain and gripe and show my ungratefulness. And through it all I have to picture Him, my Daddy, taking me into his arms and whispering into my ear, “I love you. I still love you.”

Here are three things about God’s character I am reminded of daily:

1. His love is unconditional. He loves me, not because of what I’ve done but because of who I am: His child.
2. His love is perfect. It never fails, never falters, loves completely and honestly always.
3. His love is intentional. He chose to love me. No one coerced Him into it, no one manipulated Him. He was never forced to love me. In spite of myself and all my ugly flaws, He loves me because He chooses to.

What do you find most astounding, most awe-inspiring about God’s love?