Loved . . . to Infinity and Beyond

“Mine”

When my two boys were in high school, one played guitar on the worship team while the other took up acting.

Every time one of them was on a platform, you can bet I was front and center.

I had my eyes locked on them until they did something clever or performed some especially challenging feat, at which point I would turn to the person on my left, elbow them to get their attention, point at the stage, and exclaim, “See that one in the blue shirt? That one’s mine. Isn’t he wonderful?”

Then I’d turn to the person behind me. “Did you see that? Did you notice how brilliant that boy is? He’s mine. He belongs to me.”

It didn’t matter what they were doing. On the stage or loafing on the sofa, showing off or crashing the car, my eyes were always on my boys, loving them.

They weren’t perfect. They still aren’t. Sometimes they weren’t even very good.

A Mother’s Love

Though I loved bragging on my children, their performance never affected the way I loved them. And still love them.

I love them because they belong to me. They are part of me.

From the time they were born, I told them over and over, “Mama loves you to the moon and back. There is nothing you can ever do to make me stop loving you.”

When they were little, they’d ask, “Mama, what if I was very naughty? Would you still love me?”

“Oh, yes,” I’d reply. “You could never make me stop loving you by being naughty.”

As they grew older, they’d ask me, “Mom, what if I committed a heinous crime? Would you still love me?”

“Yep,” I’d say. “Nothing you can do or say would make me stop loving you.”

Through the terrible twos and threes, into the tween and teen years, and now as adults, loving the humans I had a part of creating is intuitive.

I may not love everything they do or say…

I may not agree with every choice they make…

I hurt when I see the pain they bring on themselves…

But nothing changes the love I have for them.

God’s Love for You

That’s the way God loves you. He loves you when you are good and when you are naughty. He loves you when you are brilliant and when you are foolish.

Through everything, God loves you.

Even greater than a mother’s love for her child is God’s love for you.

Yes, you.

Sit with that for a minute.

God loves you.

You don’t have to solicit it.

You don’t have to behave for it.

You don’t have to wait for it.

You have it.

God loves you endlessly and unconditionally, as is.

Right now and forever.

To Infinity and Beyond…

I don’t know where you are in your journey of faith.

I don’t know if you’ve been in church since the crib or if you’re new to Jesus or even if you’re still trying to figure this God thing out.

God promises that he will always love you. He tells you he loves you over and over in the Bible. He doesn’t just tell you, he demonstrates his love.

God proved his love to you through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Christ died so you might know the love of God personally. A love you don’t have to earn, merely receive.

Friend, remember that you are loved by God to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, now and forevermore.

You were loved before time and will be loved through eternity. That’s a promise you can stand on.

Verse

The Lord . . . [says]: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
—Jeremiah 31:3

Prayer

Father, it’s so difficult to comprehend how much you love me, but you do! Thank you that I can never do anything to make you stop loving me. When I feel the most unlovable, overwhelm me with reminders of your amazing love for me. Thank you, Lord. Amen.