True Love

 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

    When I receive an "I love you" from either of my two daughters, sometimes my reply is, "I loved you first." They can't argue with that!

    Through daily videos and calls, I have the joy of watching my eldest wade through the ups and downs of motherhood. Yesterday, while she was folding laundry upstairs, she heard what every mom dreads: "I made a mess!"

    Cautiously, the nervous mother descended to the kitchen where she found her two-year-old daughter on a bed of rice, with the pantry door ajar and an empty bag on the floor. She watched as Esme was scooping it and sliding around in it as if it were a fresh blanket of snow, having a ball until she was told to help her mother clean it up. 

    To my daughter's credit, she held her peace until Esme began to throw the stuff around rather than sweeping it up, so she was ushered into a time out. After her mom's words of correction, she was more than willing to repent.

    Did Lauren ever stop loving Esme throughout this process? Of course not. Neither does our heavenly Father when we mess up. 

    I heard a sermon on TV last night during which the pastor stated: God doesn't love me the way I am; He loves me in spite of the way I am. If the sinful status that was mine since birth had been acceptable to God then there would be no reason for the cross. He loved me too much to let me remain in my mess, so He demonstrated his love for me in this: While I was still in my sins, He died for me (Romans 5:8). 

    That's true love! 

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19