Here is a very concerned mother worrying about her child who was not always going in the right direction. She has so many questions:

How does your heart feel if your child goes his own way and is living a life of loose morals?

Do you always keep hoping (and praying) that he/she would change his/her mind?

You do not approve of his/her decisions and actions, but you never stop loving him/her!

And if your child feels you no longer like him/her, how does he/she react?

Maybe your child loses interest in life and start rebelling …

But if you discipline your child and assure him/her that you still love him/her, how will your child react then?

What is seen as a sin against the Holy Spirit?

Aren’t we ourselves sinning against the Lord/Holy Spirit if we think He doesn’t like us anymore?

This mother’s heart is suffering. We can see exactly what is going on in her heart, in whatever her son does. Even if he chooses to go the wrong way. Even if his way of doing things causes a lot of tears, his mother says: “But you never stop loving him!”

God’s heart sketches a picture that never stops overflowing with love for mankind. God pulls out all the stops for us. He cannot stop Himself doing good to others.

Look, I’ll move mountains for a whole bunch of people who want to cooperate and who do their best. But those people who sit around moaning and who always pull in the opposite direction and who do exactly what I say they shouldn’t do – those people I just want to leave alone so that they can go jump in the lake.

However, God cannot but search for a place to do good every minute of the day. His love for mankind urges Him to do anything to keep them with Him. 7 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work.

The worried mother above is like God. It doesn’t matter what stupid choices the son makes, it doesn’t kill her love for her son. It doesn’t matter what you or I do, it doesn’t kill God’s love for us. That is how good God is to us. He will even let his son die so that He can take the punishment for our wrong doing and so that we can just get to Him. That is what God’s Father’s heart looks like.

I don’t think we realise the immense scope of God’s love for us. I don’t think we truly realise how much God longs to be good to us. Maybe we should try to live like people who have a Father who wants to bless them and maybe we should start passing on that blessing to others. I suspect that it will make a significant difference in the world if all the children of God start living like that.

Our Father’s heart pumps goodness and love. Go live in it.

Scripture

Ephesians 2:1-10

Reflection

Do you believe that God only does good?

Do you make space for God’s goodness in your life?

Do you share it?

Prayer

Father, I must confess that I do not always believe that You still love me. Sometimes I feel as if I’m not getting there, but it’s not about what I do, but rather about what You do. Thank you for all your goodness. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you that I can know that your love for me will never end. Amen