About 7 years ago, my mom had a really bad stroke. She’s doing a lot better now, but currently, she lives in a nursing home. I’ll save the full story for some other time, but I wanted to share what I’m learning about God through my mom.
Over the weekend I went to visit my mom and as soon as I entered the room and my mom laid eyes on me, her whole composure lifted. This huge smile appeared on her face, she propped herself up in her wheel chair and started cheering in excitement. It was a really a special moment. In her mind, her boy has come to see her. I walked over to her, she grabbed my hand and starts kissing it. I go in for a hug and see kissed my face, like 50 times. Smile still on her face, she is so delighted to see me, to spend time with me. As we sit and talk, she holds my hand and will kiss it. Not once or twice, but like 5 or 6 times in a row. And we talk about anything and everything. My mom always wants to hear from me – any part of my life, any topic – she wants to dialogue with me.
It’s so evident that my mom loves me. I could do anything and she would still care for me, love me and heap kisses on me. And it’s this kind of love that sets up how I relate to my mom. I never think she wills bad for me or that she’s angry at me. Quite the opposite actually. I know I can always come to her, that she’d be proud of me and love me for the sole reason that I’m her son. I know this because I know her heart.
Now to think about my Father in heaven and his amazing love for me. Amazing doesn’t really do it justice…maybe complete or engulfing. His love doesn’t change. He calls me His own, His workmanship, that I’m His son and that He’s well pleased with me. I know all of this, but there are times when I don’t relate to the Lord as His love would suggest or even how I relate to my mom. Sometimes I think He’s mad at me, disappointed, or that He doesn’t care. It’s in those times that I refocus and proclaim who the Lord is. That He is a GOOD GOOD father. That He can be comforting like a mother, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13) . And before long, I find myself encouraged in who God is and who I am in God. All being said, it matters how we relate to God.
So how do you relate with God? Do you see Him as an angry old man or a loving, comforting Father? Or maybe something else. I’d love to hear from you.
Want to connect with God in the day to day? Click the menu at the top and enter your email for weekly fingerprintss devotionals!
fingerprintss 