Goofy love

At my school there is a one-lane road that goes past the library. There is a lot of foot traffic that crosses it, so there is a stop sign and a mirror, so that you can see if someone might be coming. A young man was walking along with a baby in a Snuggli on his chest. It was at a time when most classes were in session, so he was largely alone. He stopped at the mirror, and pointed to the baby in the mirror, talking to the baby in the Snuggli, smiling and sweet with a really goofy look on his face. He then kissed the baby on the top of the head, and continued on. I watched this exchange through the window of the class I was attending, and the thought occurred to me that men have no idea how attractive they are to women when they are sweet and tender, especially to their children. There is something incredibly appealing about the combination of masculine strength and fraternal tenderness.

           

I have to wonder that if we understood that this is a picture of how God loves us, how could any of us resist him? The Ultimate Strength loves us in the most tender of ways.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are.” I John 3:1

This is our reality. The great God, who created the universe, loves me. He loves me like the father I watched loves his baby. There is a tender, goofy sense to how much God delights in us. He loves watching us grow, playing with us, feeding us, communicating with us.

There is fierceness to his love, as well. He is guiding us, building us into his people, the bride for his Son. He protects us.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time, and now and forever. Jude 24-25

He is able. He is our Father. He is willing. We are his.

These are such simple truths, little bitty sentences that contain so much love and tenderness for us. I have written often about the relationship that God desires with us recently. I have to wonder how different our lives might be if we could grasp and believe how loved we are. I confess that I struggle in this area. I believe in God’s love for me in a big, overarching way, in the way that he loves all humanity. I struggle to understand that God loves me like a father loves his baby, like a King loves his princess. Intellectually I know it; my heart struggles to believe it in a way that makes it a part of the way I live.

If I really believed that God loves me in this way I would never struggle with what other people think of me. I would live in obedience, knowing that God really does have my best interests and my joy in mind. I would never feel insecure, wondering what anybody could find interesting about me. I may not be interesting, but I am his!

“Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God…” I John 4:7

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

We were his enemies. He has adopted us as his children. We fight him. We disobey him. We ignore him. Still he loves us. I am so blown away by this truth, and yet sometimes I forget. You forget. And so he gives us to each other, to love each other and remind each other of how precious we are to him.

How different would your life look if you lived into this truth today? Could you assume the best intention from your husband when he does something you perceive as hurtful, because you know your worth? Could you reach out one more time to that angry, surly teenager, because she needs to be reminded of how precious she is? Would you take the time to reach out to that sister who is hurting, knowing that sometimes encouragement requires skin and arms? Would you be able to let go of the hurt that resides in your heart because of the callous way someone has treated you, knowing how much God has forgiven you in order to love you as his child?

Consider yourself reminded. You are loved. You are precious. God gets that goofy look when he thinks about you. Now, go remind someone else.