People like me easily forget how much God loves His adopted sons and daughters, those who have been adopted through faith in Jesus Christ. It seems that God wanted to give me a reminder. A few days ago I was doing the homework for my first course in Greek, translating the gender, number, and case of certain nouns. When I came to the word for son, huios, although I had already seen and used that word several times, on this occasion I did not want to take my eyes off of it. It seemed to be the most beautiful word I had ever seen. No doubt, this reflected my affection for my son.
Most parents have great affection for their children, although the children do not always know it. Indeed, it is possible for a child to grow up never realizing how much he was loved. I once read of a lady whose father was very stern. His excessive severity belied the love in his heart. Then one morning she overhead him praying for her with a tenderness and passion that clearly disclosed his affection.
On a different occasion, a boy struggled to tell his father that he was a homosexual. He braced himself, expecting an angry outburst. To his surprise, his Father broke down into deep passionate crying, grabbed his son, held him tightly, and begged God to save him. The boy was so overcome in discovering his father's love that he repented.
Similarly, Christians often do not realize the depth of God's love for His adopted sons and daughters.
Sometimes love is both unspoken and hidden. However, for some people, love is so clearly understood that words are often unnecessary--the face reveals it. The eyes of the child and the eyes of the parent meet. Neither turns away. There is an affirming nod or a gentle smile that says, "I love you," with a depth and clarity that transcends words.
What kind of love would we find if we could see into the spiritual eyes of the Father? We would find a love that is stronger than death.
A parent's love for his child does not end at the grave. Although God chose to take my son Stephen home three years ago, my love for Stephen is stronger now than it has ever been. And although death has put a barrier between us, I know that someday I will hold my son again. And the love that will be shared will be sweeter than anything that we ever knew on this earth.
But what is this love compared to the love of God for His children. Our sweetest love in this life is but a shadow, a stepping stone. The love between parents and children, husbands and wives, and between faithful and loyal friends are merely types to point us to the love of our heavenly Father. They serve as a kind of tutor for describing the magnitude of the love of God.
Some moments passed as I considered these things. Then I looked back down at my paper and at the word son. Yes, it is a beautiful word. It is beautiful because God has adopted me as His child. He is my heavenly Father. And although I cannot see His eyes of love right now, from that hidden world where God watches, and where angels are privileged to behold His countenance, there is a love covering me that is bigger than the sky, brighter than the sun, deeper than the ocean, and stronger and more passionate than any force known to man: the love of God.
Home Help for Those Who Grieve Reflections