I love you THIS Much!

Do you remember the adorable book ? I gave a copy to each of  my children. Every child wants the reassurance that their parent's love is everlasting and unconditional. In this short story, Guess How Much I Love You, a young rabbit named Little Nutbrown Hare is convinced he has found a way to measure the boundaries of love itself! Back and forth he and his Papa go....I love YOU more! No I love YOU more! With each of my own children I adapted my own rendition of the "I love you mores!" You could say they were unique unto each one.

                                         

Hey there Mom!!      

                 Do you love me??

I love you THIS much!  ___________________ Well Little Nutbtown.  I love you ALL the way UP to the SUN and back!! Illustrations by: Anita Jeram

 Well my children are all grown up now, and have started lives of their own. I don't hear from them like I used to nor do I get the opportunity to "tell" them as much as I would like how much I love them. Although the love is still very much there. It hasn't waxed or waned. In fact it has grown even stronger over the years. I have more respect for my children than I did when they were just small like Little Nutbrown Hare. I have watched them grow. I have watched them tackle life and all that it has thrown at them. I am a very proud of how they have handled themselves. Still as proud as I am and as much as I love my little, not so little Nutbrown Hares I am their Mumsey. It is my God given right to love them, care about them and wonder how they are. So I guess what I am saying is, I miss them.

 This is where the Lord says,

"Do YOU love me?

 I love YOU."

I love you THIS Much

The Lord's love is unconditional.

Never ending.

His Grace is GREATER than any sin. Able to to forgive anything.

There isn't anything that the Lord doesn't already know about you. You can't surprise Him.

AND GET THIS

HE LOVES YOU

You see, in Romans 5:8,9 says  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."

You get it don't you?

Back to the Big Nutbrown Hare analogy. As a Mother I have given my ALL for my children. I love every one of them with MY WHOLE heart. As far as I am concerned (and I am sure all the Mothers I personally know would agree with me on this one)

"You can mess with anything, but DO NOT mess a Ma'mas babies! You be barkin' up the wrong tree. Cause there ain't no wrath like a mother scorned!"

I mean seriously, even just typing that, I could feel the passion. 

It is the same with the Lord and HIS CHILDREN!

Even MORE SO!

The Lord does NOT like it when His children are taken advantage of. On the subject, the Lord’s love  for His children.The Lord could NOT stand to be separated from us! So much so that He gave His only begotten Son to be crucified, as a Holy sacrifice; as an atonement for OUR SIN. ONCE for ALL; that all who believe and receive would have life everlasting! (paraphrased John 3:16)

Jesus, gave HIS life. Suffered terribly. An innocent man.

The Heavenly Father allowed Him to come and give His life for us.

(back to Romans 5:9)

If then by demonstrating THIS. How much more will He, (God) not do for us now, through the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) during this season of Grace?

Come.

The Spirit of the Lord s

says come.

Original post 2011

"Doing Without" a Heart. NOT okay

So You Think You're Okay?

Think Again. Forgiveness - It's a funny thing -It creeps up on you when you least expect it. Un-forgiveness really. You're going along in life just fine then. Wham - outta know where it hits ya  like a heart attack. 

Sometimes we can get wounded, hurt, deep down inside - and it never really "heals". At least not the way it should. Tissue begins to form over the injury, like scar tissue - pretty soon we don't see the wound, or really even feel it much. We grow accustom to the scar tissue that covers the area where the injury took place. We may even have gotten used to the limited mobility that has stemmed from the over growth of tissue where the injury was. 

It has become a part of us. Our relationship with the person that hurt us becomes strained.  

We pretty much have buried the hurt so far deep down inside, we have forgotten the magnitude of it's origination. Oh we remember when it happened - IF someone brings it up. But we may "play it off" that we have "dealt" with it and "forgiven" those we hold responsible for the hurt. But we know, deep down inside; there's something still there. Something that is only noticeable to us, God and those closest to us.

It would be one thing if it was just an emotional scar that was invisible. Truth is it is keeping us from excelling in the "more excellent things". We know this too. Something else we are unwilling to admit and we are willing to do with out. In fact "we have convinced ourselves" that we are in fact - not doing with out, at all.

We go on striving to create lives that seem fulfilled and God centered.  While in the back of our minds and hearts we can feel the pressure, be it all so slight, of that scar tissue, tugging, pushing on our heart and spirit. It’s as if there is a constant  cloud following hanging over our head.

Truth be told. We are actually doing "with out". We are sacrificing the "more excellent things" in life that God our Heavenly Father has designed and desired for us to have. We may not readily amit it - but we know it's true. 

Honestly, we don't like that we are. 

What we want is God's perfect will for our lives.

So how do we get there? From where we are now?

Well, for starters we need to face the fact that we have been injured - and - that we need to be healed - completely healed.

 

You see God, Our Heavenly Father, did not send His Son to die for us so we could just "muddle through" painful times and have our wounds heal over with patch work stitches and numbing scar tissue - that would simply allow us to "carry on our lives" and only "face those who hurt us" when absolutely necessary.

No, Our Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Son to die for us so that we might have reconciliation - to Our Father in Heaven AND TO EACH OTHER.

Sometimes, a wound needs to be opened up and cleaned out -

 before it can properly heal.  

Yes, it can be painful.

But it is well worth it.

Our Heavenly Father gave His ONLY Son - He paid the ULTIMATE price to HEAL the relationship between US and HIM. It wasn't even HIS fault we were separated.  

Won't YOU give THAT person in your life a chance?  The way God gave YOU a chance?

Freely forgive - as you have been forgiven.

Set someone free today and -

Receive healing - be complete.