My sweet Christian is an unfortunately early, early bird—generally coming in our room about 5:45 in morning to ask if it’s time to get up—but today was like a weekend; he didn’t wander in until 6:15 or so.
Still his fuzzy-headedness was irresistible, and I invited he and his Spider Man blanket and his ice-cold toes to join me in the bed.
Christian,” I asked, “Do you know how much God loves you?” (Since I was enduring those freezing feet anyway, I reckoned I ought to use my time wisely.)
“Uh huh.” He answered. “He loves me 100 pounds.”
Yep.
And that’s just exactly what he should have answered.
Because, my darling, He does love you 100 pounds. And that’s about 100 pounds more than your sweet little self can imagine.
I will keep the rest of this short this week. I’m learning good things right now, things that I’m not so ready to blog about yet (if ever), but they don’t fall far from Christian’s four-year-old brilliance: God loves us more than we can comprehend.
And that’s the end of that.
Short. Sweet. Simple. And absolutely true.
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Ok. For those of you still hankering for something more:
Check out Lisa Jo Baker’s refreshing words this week, especially if you’re a mom of small kids and the lists and the cleaning and the upcoming family gatherings have you looking for a hole to bury yourself in.
Or read my dear, delightfully-beautiful, novelist-friend Lindsey Bracket’s words. I’m taking a page from her book (not literally) and ditching Facebook for the remainder of the holidays.
Unless it’s to, you know, tell you I posted a new blog (insert shamed throat-clearing noise here) or share someone else’s brilliant blog post, you won’t find me Facebooking. It’s far to cranky and sad there and almost everything about it right now makes me want start stockpiling canned vegetables and water so I can go ahead and take up residence in that hole.
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Oh, one last thing.
Please, please, please take note of these words from Elisabeth Elliot, a missionary who spent years ministering as a missionary to the very tribe of people who had murdered her husband and left her a widow with young children.
She said, “There is always plenty to complain about if your life is controlled by your feelings. But there is much more to thank God for if your life is controlled by dwelling on His faithfulness, His love, and His mercy.”
So that has been my mantra this last week.
I think it’s worth remembering and repeating:
My feelings are big fat liars. Don’t trust them and certainly don’t let them take control. Even in the negativity, God is good. Even in the chaos, God is faithful. Even in the uncertainty, God is merciful.
(And don’t forget: God loves us 100 pounds. Or, if we adjust for inflation, more like 100 billion pounds.)
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No wait! One last thing really this time: A winner of the God Bless My Friends giveaway! Congrats to Michelle O! And thanks to all who played along. Of course, if you didn’t win and you need a little internet shopping to soothe you’re the-holidays-are-coming nerves, you can still find God Bless My Friends on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or at Sam’s (or so my sources say…)
Thanks, friends. You are a blessing to me.
I love this. Why is it so easy to forget how much we’re loved by God? I get wrapped up in my flaws and reasons I feel unlovable and discount His amazing love and power. I’ve been trying to release the burdens of my past and my current failures because I know that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.
I know, Tara! It’s easy for me to forget too. Or, even if I don’t forget, I just don’t quite believe it. It’s like the love of God is so basic (for lack of a better word) to our faith, that is seems extra easy for me to neglect or ignore. Perhaps it shows how conditional my love is, that I just don’t quite trust that His love is unconditional and never changing and completely unfailing.
It’s almost the perfect of example of something that truly seems too good to be true. Yet is is. Thank goodness. He adores us. Praise God!
“There is always plenty to complain about if your life is controlled by your feelings. But there is much more to thank God for if your life is controlled by dwelling on His faithfulness, His love, and His mercy.”
How Powerful!! It seems you post just what my heart needs at the right time <3
Me too, Lydia. It was the perfect word for me when I read that quote last week. I needed it, and I’m going to cling to it when I’m feeling the complain-ys that want to come creeping in.
I’ve also tried combating it by singing Great is Thy Faithfulness at the top of my lungs. It doesn’t sound very pretty, but it does the trick. 😉 There’s no space to think about ourselves when we’re thinking about Someone else!