The Perfect Love of God
A former colleague of mine told the story of how he had traveled over 1,000 miles from his home in Kansas to a university on the east coast. The weather was different, the food was different, the accents were different, and the disequilibrium and uncertainty in his heart was growing by the day. Finally, after two weeks, he called home and his father picked up. Telling his dad of his uncertainty about his college decision and the desire to come home, his dad listened and then said, “Pete, here’s what you need to know – tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” Pete paused and then said, “Dad, could you put mom on the phone please?”
For those of us who had the blessing of growing up in a home with both a mom and a dad, we can relate to needing the different kinds of love provided by a mother and a father. The apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 2:6b-8 showed that, as a follower of Jesus, he, at times, had to show the love of God like a mom. He said, “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well because you had become so dear to us.”
The tenderness of these words is contrasted in verses 11-12 when Paul says, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
It is a blessing that we serve a God who knows when we need a spiritual kick in the pants that challenges us to step up, but also is aware when we desperately need to know that we are unconditionally loved, even in our failure.
As Christian parents, your kids get to see the panorama of the love of God through you. So, mom and dad – keep loving your kids in your unique and different ways – and God will build them into godly men and women as they grow in that love.
David Landis, Superintendent