Before I had children, I read somewhere that becoming a parent meant your heart would be walking around outside of your body for the rest of your life. As we celebrate my daughter’s 18th birthday today, I can honestly say that’s the best description of parenthood I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Truly, where Angela is, a portion of my heart goes with her. There’s no way around that. She is part of me.
My heart broke when I had her on my hip as a toddler, bent down to retrieve something from inside the car, and caught her eyebrow on the corner of the car door.
My heart ached when she got into a fight with one of her closest friends in 5th grade. Angela didn’t know what she had done wrong, and she was devastated when her friend called her up to mock and ridicule her.
My heart melted when Angela decided this past Christmas to cash in her coin jar and use that money to treat people all day long: in the Starbucks line, a meal for a homeless man in the Target parking lot, and a tray of cookies for her co-workers.
If this is how my heart responds to my sweet girl, I can’t help but think how much more
God’s heart responds to us as make our way through life.
I imagine God’s heart breaks when we are hurting.
God’s heart aches for us when we don’t know what to do.
God’s heart melts when we intentionally share light, love, and hope with others.
God LOVES us. As much as I love my daughter, that love still pales by comparison to the love that God has for us.
I’m not sure how many people are convinced of this. I think there are a whole lot of people who think God is hovering above them in judgment and waiting to catch them messing up so God can exact punishment.
I don’t look through those eyes at my children, and I don’t think God looks at us that way, either.
I don’t love my daughter because she deserves it. I love her for who she is. That’s what makes it LOVE.
Let’s stop trying to figure out who “deserves” love, and just give it.
God would want nothing less for all the parts of His heart that are walking around this earth.
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