HOW DEEP~HOW WIDE

I never really understood the true depths of love until I had children and grandchildren.  Certainly I have loved before--but there is nothing quite like the depths of love we have for our children.  Difficult to understand how this goes wrong for some, but we will not go down that trail.



Last night, I watched the Netflix documentary about Kara Tippetts~a Christian author who was taken at 38 by breast cancer.  She does a wonderful job of teaching us how we should love.  It was amazing to hear her say, "I am not afraid of dying, but I am not ready to die."  All of us mothers understand the natural order of life is for us to go before our children.  We desire to see them grow up, and then successfully leave the nest.  Kara will not have the joy of seeing that beautiful launch.  There was no doubt though that she loved them deeply, loved her husband and family without reserve and loved her friends well.  She was a walking textbook on how we should love one another.  Dying to self and placing others before ourselves.


As I thought over what I had seen, it occurred to me we never really comprehend how deeply God loves us.  Why are we not able to grasp the depths of His love?  We do not have a clue as to the depth of God's love because we are human--finite--and infinite love is beyond our comprehension.  Most of us love with expectations of a return for our investment.  God's love has no expectations.  In fact, God knows up front we will disappoint Him. Yet He loves us with a breadth and depth beyond our human understanding.  God loves us not only without expectation, but in fact, with full confidence we will never love Him to the depth that He loves us.  And yet~


God is love.  All of us fall far short of His love.  BUT GOD, desires to teach us, mold us, and shape us into creatures filled with God's Love.  His desire is for us to all have the blessing of loving without reservation and without expectation.  He wants us to love as He loves us~an eternal love 


John Piper, one of my favorite theologians says it perfectly, "We are his heirs.  And his love was free.  Nobody took his life from him.  He laid it down of his own accord.  He loves his people-those who will have this love as their treasure-with a love that cannot be greater than it is.  If you will receive it as your treasure and cherish it, Christ loves you more than you can comprehend."  As he continues this writing, he reminds us the first fruit of the Spirit is love.  The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of love in us and He shows us how to love others as He loves us.  What a beautiful picture.  I love because He first loved me and gifted me with His love to share through the Holy Spirit.  A beautiful gift to be cherished and shared with all He places in our paths

May you be rooted and grounded in love,
and thus be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length
and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ
which passes all understanding.
Ephesians 3:17-19

6 comments

  1. God's love is unfathomable . . . May we learn to love Him more and more as our days unfold.
    Blessings, Lulu!

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  2. "Why are we not able to grasp the depths of His love?"

    Many years ago when I was young, (not when I was a baby - that's too young, move forward a few years). As I was saying when you interrupted me, when I was young I went through a bad period in life. I spoke to my priest at the time. He listened then he asked what seemed a stupid question. "Does you father love you?" he asked.

    "Of course ..." I replied.

    "How do you know?" he asked.

    "Well ... it is obvious," I said getting annoyed.

    He continued, "You can tell your father and mother love you by the obvious things they do every day for you. They don't need to say it, but they love you all the same. Right now, you don't feel God's love for you. You can't see it. You feel alone or abandoned by Him. It does not mean God does not love you. It means you don't have a clear vision of His love.

    "Get yourself some glasses," he smiled.

    I understood then why we are not able to grasp the depths of His love? The answer to your question.

    God bless.

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    Replies
    1. Brilliant, Victor! Put on your God glasses!
      Blessings!

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  3. Excellent point Victor. AND for some odd reason Lulu, Blogger is not holding your website in my favorites...I keep having to add it, sigh. NONETHELESS, I've been reading your posts via FB. smiles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am lost---but He found me!
      Blessings, My Friend!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!