We are less than two weeks away from Ryan leaving for bo*t camp and my heart is aching. I know I am not the only Mama who is grieving over sending her child to the milit*ry, so I pleaded with God to help me face it bravely, with peace in my heart.
He came alongside, as He so often does, with gentleness, and reminded me that He knows the pain of sending a Son away from home and out into the world.
We so often focus on the JOY of the Christmas season...the WONDER of a baby born...a baby who would SAVE the world and RESCUE us from our hopeless condition. But this year, my heart turned toward the Father...the one who waited at home while the Son went down to earth to fulfill His destiny.
- The Father had to watch His Boy leave.
- The Father knew that His much treasured, His Beloved, would not be received with the JOY that the Father intended. That in fact, His precious Boy would be tortured, rejected and misunderstood.
- The Father also knew, that this was His Son's destiny. An oppressed world awaited a rescuer. There was only One who had the credentials to do it.
So Love came down.
For me.
For you.
For ALL who will receive Him.
Somehow over the years, His message has been twisted to be all about do's and don'ts. That would be the same as defining a parent only by the rules they set for their children, and leaving out all the love they lavish on them. As parents we LOVE first....we bless our kids with material comforts as is possible...and we also have some rules to keep them safe. All of those components have to work together to give our kids the best upbringing possible.
Yes, as God's children there are some rules. But His extravagant LOVE is what should stand out. A LOVE that made Him willing to send His Son to be mistreated and murdered. A LOVE that made the Son willing to suffer in our place, while being cursed and rejected for doing so.
What will you do with this amazing, wonderful, extravagant, too-huge-to-comprehend GIFT?
It is so easy to accept it. All we have to say is yes. Yes, God, we admit we need you. We admit we have sinned. We are willing to accept the gift and the heritage of adoption that accompanies it. We rejoice that there are no strings attached. We rejoice that you LOVE us to much that our feeble minds cannot wrap themselves around the concept.
Thank you, God, for the precious gift of your Son. Thank you for sending LOVE down. For me.
"For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given..." Isaiah 9:6
