Perfect Love

This morning I told my son the same thing I have told him a million times over. "I love you." He asked me why. At first I just said because I do. Then I started to think about why I love him. Do I love him because he is cute? Do I love him because he is the best behaved child ever born (yeah, right)? Do I love him because he does everything right? Do I love him because he does things for me? I guess in part, I love him for all of those reasons. But I loved him before I ever saw him. I loved him from the very second I knew of his existence. Actually, when Lance and I were trying to get pregnant, I loved him already, even though I didn't know him.

It hit me that I just love him because "he is". Not because of anything he does, says, or the way he looks or acts. I just love him for his existence. Nothing will ever change that - Nothing. That showed me, in a small way, how God loves me. I don't have to do anything or be anybody. He loved me before I was born. He loved me when he thought of me. My broken childhood hurt him, as I am hurt when my children are hurt. He could not protect me from everything because if he did, there would be no free choice for me to love him back and serve him out of my own desire. God simply loves me because I am. Just like I love Marcus, and Mitchell and Whitney - just because they are.

I'm not sure if my thoughts would be considered "theologically sound". But I do know that God has perfect love for me. If my human relationships can give me a glimpse of that love and help me to understand God's love for me, I think that is amazing. A sentence said a million times over takes on new meaning when a child asks a probing question. How awesome and amazing is that?