Happy Friday, Powell Church family and friends! I hope this beautiful Friday gets your weekend off to a wonderful start. Here is a little bit of Friday love with you on this amazing day!
When my youngest son was eight, nine, and 10 years old, we spent a lot of time together. Sometimes at night, after he had fallen asleep, I would kneel at his bedside and pray over him. I would look at him, and all I could see was this sweet, precious, innocent boy who’s heart was so pure and full of generous love….sometimes I would simply get tears in my eyes. There were even times when I thought that this young man was pretty much incapable of doing anything wrong (even though I knew that wasn’t true). But, I knew his life would not always be that way. Because, like all humans do, he would begin to make his own decisions as a teenager and as a young adult. And like many of us, he would begin to make decisions that will have consequences. Sometimes, his choices would have consequences that would hurt….hurt himself, hurt me, and hurt others. I realized that some of his choices will not always please me. In fact, it’s quite possible and very likely that he will make choices that personally devastate me. And it’s possible that some of his future decisions would have life-changing consequences for him, both good and bad. So, I would simply pray that God would watch over him, guide him, and guard his heart.
What I also realized one night is that I was his father, and that I would always be his father. And I knew that, no matter what he does for the rest of his life, whether he makes good decisions or not, there was nothing that would ever change my love for him. He would always be my little boy, I would always be his dad, and I would always love him no matter what. That got me to thinking about God. If I can feel that type of emotion and commitment to my son, I can only imagine what God feels for us! And I began to wonder what kind of difference it would make in my life, in ALL of our lives, if we simply believed that we are loved like this by God. I mean, if I can love my son like this, certainly God can love us even more! To believe that no matter what we do or how badly we mess up, God will always be there for us, always loving us, always wanting more than anything to take us back into His loving arms. I think too many people have a skewed notion as to the kind of God we love and serve. Our God does not want to see our distraction, or God wants to see us thrive and live into an abundant life. This is a pretty amazing love, and I am so grateful that God has given me a glimpse into this kind of love with my children.
That’s the love of our God over us! A little bit of Friday love for you on this day! Be a blessing to someone today. And go to show generous love to others!!
With Love,
Pastor Brad
