The morning started out similarly to every morning: Anna was eating breakfast and I was consuming inordinate amounts of caffeine trying to wake up. She had some scrambled eggs and honey, and had already been pushing the limits with how much honey she was getting everywhere. Her listening skills weren’t necessarily on point, but I was doing my best to be patient. Toward the end of breakfast, she grabbed the final bit of scrambled eggs and held it over the edge of her highchair. She knows she’s not allowed to drop food on the floor. I looked and her and sternly told her no. She looked back and me and then dropped the food on the floor anyway. She was immediately punished, and her tears flowed freely.
We talked about what it means to obey, and that even Mommy and Daddy have to obey what God says. There are things that God says not to do – called sins – and we cannot do those things, even if we want to. When we do them when God says not to, we get punished, too. But that punishment doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us, and Anna’s punishment didn’t mean I didn’t love her. It just meant she had to learn to obey.
After a few minutes of hugs and reassurance, Anna looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I sorry it happened.” Now I was the one crying.
Oftentimes, we think about repenting of our sins from our perspective – as a way of escaping the punishment we’re due. And rightly so! Thanks be to God for His amazing gift (Jesus!) that makes it possible for us to escape that punishment! But do we stop and think about how much God loves us, even in the moments that we’ve messed up? Even in the moments when we’ve willfully and purposefully dropped the eggs? No part of me didn’t love Anna anymore, even though she did something she wasn’t supposed to. And I’m just a human! I am not capable of infinite love. I am not wholly and completely love. But God is. God is love! And even when we hurt Him and disobey Him, He loves us. He wants us to say we’re sorry, of course, and when we do, He welcomes us with open arms and hugs and kisses, and He is ecstatic that He can restore us to our place in His family.
I am thankful for subtle, every day reminders of how much God loves me. I am imperfect, but I know how to love my daughter. God is perfect, so how much more does He know how to love His children? When He tells us to abstain from certain things, it isn’t because He doesn’t love us – but just the opposite! He wants us to go to heaven. He sees our future and knows what is best for us — life eternal with Him. Sin will keep us from that eternal destination, and so He tells us what to do and what not to do, and how we can live a life that pleases Him.
Some people want to see the Bible as a bunch of rules, but really, it’s a guidebook from a loving Father who sees the end from the beginning and wants His children to be with Him forever. It’s a roadmap to eternity with Him. We would all do well to remember God as our Father, and to fully trust in Him and obey Him all the days of our lives.
