Early in our marriage, we’d decided to
ensure all our children came before I turned 40 because of the increased risks
to mom and babe after that fateful age. We, thus, welcomed all our children before
I turned 38, with the “last” one born in 2012. Then, sometime in 2014, we felt impressed that another child would like to join our family. We had many reasons persuading us to not accept the invitation--my maternal age being one such obstacle. As we contemplated
whether to accept this additional child into our lives, we voiced our fears and our faith thus:
 |
| Addie in her toy bin bathtub. |
“Well,
then we will take comfort in knowing that we have six healthy children--we will
be comforted in them.”
WRONG!
As we face the reality-- sometimes daily but always weekly--that death persistently shadows our precious Addie, we now understand that no amount of children, six or otherwise, could comfort the loss of this one precious soul. Don't misunderstand, I daily send my gratitude heavenward for my six healthy ones; and I likewise send my gratitude for my little struggling baby too. I’m only saying that we were naïve about love--its depths and its heights.
Love at its depths teaches me that the suffering
of my one little child ripples my heart in ways that six pain-free children cannot
assuage. When the time for good-bye comes, she will be sorely missed and mourned. Love at its heights teaches me that I have reservoirs of love to provide for both Addie and my six healthy kids. There is no competition for love--there is enough for both the broken and the whole to withdraw from the heart.
I know now, like I didn’t before, that every child matters to God. Just because He is the Father of an incomprehensible number of souls does not take away one ounce of love, concern, or care for YOU! He taught us this in the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:2-7:
I know now, like I didn’t before, that every child matters to God. Just because He is the Father of an incomprehensible number of souls does not take away one ounce of love, concern, or care for YOU! He taught us this in the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:2-7:
Though he could take comfort in ninety-nine safely gathered, healthy sheep, the shepherd still sought the lost, the lonely, the suffering one. Why? Love! Reservoirs and fountains of love! Love never shrinks—it
only expands. How can God, with
numberless children praying to him, attend to you? Because you are numbered to Him (see Moses 1:35).
 |
| Addie's brief reservoir raft ride. |
Father doesn’t have a limited pool of
love—His love is as far reaching as eternity.
When you hurt, He hurts. When you
are lost, He seeks you. He will stay up
night and day to attend to you in your spiritual seizing. And when you make the tiniest bit of progress
towards spiritual development, He celebrates and cheers you on (or like me
& my kids for Addie, maybe he does a happy dance!)
If I, as the mortal, fallen, weak parent I am, can feel so much love for and give so much of myself to one suffering child; if I can then still shower continuing reservoirs of love upon my very precious six children, why can't an immortal, glorified, perfect parent know and love each and every child of God?
Of this, I can surely testify: God knows YOU! He loves YOU! He is a very attentive Father. No amount of "healthy" children will compensate for the suffering or pain He feels for YOU in your spiritual illness. And no amount of suffering children will take Him away from ensuring your needs are met even when you are safely gathered with the 99. This truth is vital for each of us to understand. God truly IS love--don't be persuaded otherwise--everything outside of this truth is false! Crash it, smash, it, uproot it. Instead, BELIEVE!
"Believe in God; believe that He is . . . " (Mosiah 4:9).
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. . . .for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).
If I, as the mortal, fallen, weak parent I am, can feel so much love for and give so much of myself to one suffering child; if I can then still shower continuing reservoirs of love upon my very precious six children, why can't an immortal, glorified, perfect parent know and love each and every child of God?
Of this, I can surely testify: God knows YOU! He loves YOU! He is a very attentive Father. No amount of "healthy" children will compensate for the suffering or pain He feels for YOU in your spiritual illness. And no amount of suffering children will take Him away from ensuring your needs are met even when you are safely gathered with the 99. This truth is vital for each of us to understand. God truly IS love--don't be persuaded otherwise--everything outside of this truth is false! Crash it, smash, it, uproot it. Instead, BELIEVE!
"Believe in God; believe that He is . . . " (Mosiah 4:9).
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. . . .for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).
 |
| Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (1 John 4:11) |
