Today, as I was sitting in a mom's Bible study group, I realized I am understanding God's heart more now, as a mom. I see how much I love Fiona, how much watching her grow gives me joy, and how her sadness and pain brings my own sadness and pain. I want good things for her, but I also want her to grow in wisdom and knowledge and, most of all, love of God. Sometimes, to grow in those things, she will have to experience loss in big and small ways; she will have to feel disappointment. When she reaches for things that she aren't good for her, I pull them away, even though it makes her sad to not be able to have them. And I know that doing that is the good thing to do, to give her good gifts, not things that will hurt her. But she doesn't always know what's good for her. Aren't we the same way with God? Don't we reach for things, time and time again, that can hurt us? And when God pulls those things away for our own good, don't we often get mad at him, and throw a fit because he took it away? I often tell Fiona, "I'm sorry you're sad," but that doesn't mean I give her the thing she wants anyway, because I know it is not the best for her. Amazing how God mirrors his relationship with us through so many things in life. He tries to show us his love through almost every story in the Bible, but also through the church, through our marriages, and through our relationships with our children. It's just like how he told so many parables in the Bible so that people could understand; he's now showing me a parable of how he feels about me, through how I feel about Fiona, and how I want to raise her.
Thank you God for your love stories to me; for reaching me in a place I am comfortable, and showing me your love in my every day life and decisions.
