Sometimes being a parent can be all sorts of delightful fun – full of good times and bad. I would like to explore the reasoning of / from a child. Recently, one of my children had a small meltdown of sorts. It is not “the norm” for him, but here is how our morning went for a little while… “Mom, you’re just so mean….Mom you just don’t GET me…Mom it’s not fair….you’re always asking me to do things I don’t want to do!” It started off with a simple request on my part, which was followed by his being disobedient and not following simple directives. As I assured him that privelages (such as TV, playing with friends, etc.) would be taken away if his attitude and choices did not change, he assured me he did not care. It was hard to sit back and allow him to make his own choices. But, I did. And, I let him figure out the hard way, that there are consequences to those same choices. It is all about self control, and taking responsibility to / for your own actions.

It was during all of this that I drew a parallel. I took the time, and thought things through on an entirely different level. I looked at how many people, myself included, are often inclined to talk and react to God – the creator of the Heavens and the Earth – the One who gave His only son to die on a cross, so that we might live – the One who loved us THAT much – – Yes, Him! I began thinking of Him in that loving role as our Father, our Daddy. And, upon thinking, I realized a great deal.

Just as I struggle sometimes as a parent to instill morals, values, ethics, etc. in my children, He struggles much in the same way. In one way or another, we (as children of the Most High God) rebel. In some way, we scream at Him – saying that He just doesn’t GET us. We turn our backs on Him, thinking that He is not concerned with our feelings. We get downright angry, letting him know that we do not think it’s fair that He is always daring to ask us to do things we don’t or might not want to do! I mean, how dare He!? And why?

Well, what I realized is that, much in the same way (but only on such a greater scale) that I love my own children, He loves us. So much. In the same way that I assure my children that nothing they can do or say will ever make me stop loving them, He does the same thing. His love for us is truly unconditional. He loves us with such a passion that it is hard to comprehend – even a fraction of that love. He yearns to share with us the same love we have for our children, only on such a greater more impressive scale. No one is capable of understanding His love. But, when you have gotten a glimpse at even a fraction of it, it is nothing short of life-changing. You cannot experience the presence of God and not be touched in some way, shape or form.

God loves us with a never-ending love. He KNOWS we will mess up, and loves us all the same. He understands that we are not perfect – but loves us simply because we are His kids. The mindset of a child can sometimes be “fun,” but the love of a parent to that same child – and the parallels it shows with our truly loving God is amazing.

Take the time today to get back to that child-like innocence in the eyes of your Heavenly Father. Open your heart, and cry out to God. Know that, no matter what, He is there, and He will listen.