The Greatest Love

God's love exceeds the boundaries of my imagination. Therefore, I can dream big dreams. I can see glimpses of His love in a purply pink sunrise or a red orange sunset. A midnight sky a lit with stars like white diamonds or an overflowing cascade of petunias in an early Spring display on a day with temperatures so perfect you could stay outside all day. Or watching billowy, puffy white clouds float across the blue sky on a soft breeze. The warm sun on my face as the ocean tide laps over my toes sunk down in the sand.

Or there's that moment in the kitchen when you and your bestie are laughing so hard you can't get a word out without erupting in another round of breathless laughter. Oh, it cleanses the dry, crusty soul.

Yes, God is in the beauty of it all. A heart of love so deep that the majesty of all the earth does not adequately reflect it. But, it glimpses it. Its in the face of every child, every human God made with purpose attached. How it must grieve Him to see His children suffer. It was not His plan for us. It was His plan that He himself would suffer on our behalf that we might taste His goodness and love. Just like a good Father, taking on our debt, making our path smooth. Giving us hope. He is the God of all hope. He loves. We are not made to live outside the boundaries of His love. And we will be like Him. We are made in His image, growing more like Him every day. Because we experience Him giving us grace.

He gives us second chances, third chances and on and on. People (man) think we need to be kept in line or we will abuse and take advantage of His good mercy. Too late. We have imposed upon His mercies a thousand times. His mercies are new every morning for that very reason.

It was for me. I'm the one who needs the daily mercies and abundant grace. Its me. I'm the one who slips up, falls back, doesn't quite measure up. That's why when I learned about Jesus and His love, I latched on. Surely, this can't be right. Why, its too good to be true. You mean He saw everything I ever did, and still came for me? I'll never get over the wonder of it. He forgave it all and then lavished on me a love that says, You are just the person I've been looking for. He included me in His circle because He saw me standing outside the world's tight circle. I never quite fit in. You know, too much, too little, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But Jesus lets me be me and knows He can fill in the gaps where I come up short. At least I'm counting on it, counting on Him. All the way, every day. He loves me with the greatest love, this I know. And that's why I love Him in my imperfect, inconsistent way. He delights in loving me, because that's who He is.

We love Him because He first loved us. I John 4:19

And if you don't love Him, then perhaps you haven't seen or tasted His love for you. I'm praying for you that you will. It's why we are here. To be loved and to love. His love surpasses human love. Today, know that you are known, seen, and loved deeply...with the greatest love by your Heavenly Father.