A Shocking LoveSample

Grow up Not Outgrow

Have you ever stopped to think about how much longer we stay in childhood compared to other mammals? Donkeys take their first steps minutes after birth, and blue whales, who have a similar lifespan to humans, which is about 80 years, start searching for a mate after only one year of life. Can you imagine your one-year-old scanning their OkCupid profile for a match? That seems ridiculous, right?

Maybe our prolonged physical development reflects a spiritual principle. 

Knowing the Father’s love is certainly where our faith journey and our spiritual childhood begins, but knowing the Father’s love might also be where we need to stay… for much longer than we think. 

An 'awakening' to the reality of the Father’s love unfolds over time. Like water being poured on the hard, cracked places of our hearts, His love seeps in and softens us until we’re moldable again. To know the Father’s love is not a quick lesson, it’s a journey. It’s a progression toward maturity that only happens when we grow in our knowledge of His Word over time. Jesus alludes to this in His parable of the sower. As time passes, the planted seeds, which represent the Word of God, produce much fruit.

In moments of crisis and in the struggles of daily life, in poverty and in plenty, in weakness and in strength, it is the Father’s love through His Word that sustains us. We grow up, but we never outgrow the love of the Father or outlive our spiritual childhood this side of eternity. 

Reflection: Like an oasis in the desert, our dehydrated hearts crave the Father’s love for survival and growth. What prevents you from repeatedly returning to God’s Word for reminders of the Father’s love?  Is there a circumstance, relationship, or inward struggle that you need to bring to the Father today? 

Prayer: "Lord, I catch myself forgetting the fundamental truth of my acceptance as your child based on Jesus’ work on the cross. Please remind me today. Help me to believe that Your intentions toward me are good and Your ways are beyond my understanding. Give me a long-term vision to believe that You are softening my heart and molding me to look more like Jesus."