How Much do You Love Your Children?

Maybe that's an odd question. Just follow my thoughts. How much do you love your children? On the days where they listen to you, play nicely together, help each other, co-operate with you and others things seem easy. It is easy to love your children on those days. One might even say those are the days that bless you the most as you can see your hard work and disciplining measures at work: the rewards of teaching children!!

What about the hard days? Tantrums and tears? Screaming and disobeying? The days where your kids bicker with each other, constantly fighting and pushing each other's buttons just to rile the other up. The days where you have to grab the collar of their jacket while they are kicking and screaming because they don't see the vehicle coming across the parking lot that you do. Or the times you are so tired of them not listening that you let them fall off the couch they are jumping on so they can learn the hard way. Do you love your children in those hard times? You must think I've lost it, the answer is a resounding "Of course!!!"

Even when we get tired, even when we get frustrated with the little one's antics, even when we think we are ready to pull out our hair, we love the kiddos more than one can express!! Many of the things we do on the hard days we do BECAUSE we love our children and want them to learn and to protect them. Now I don't know about you, but in my 4 yrs of being a mother, I know I have had some pretty bad days. Do you remember exactly what your kids did that made you have a bad day? I don't. Every night, even after a rough day, I still tuck my kids into bed, shower them with hugs and kisses and tell them I love them. It doesn't matter what happens in the rough times, at the end of the day they are still my children and my heart still overflows with joy and love for them!

This may not seem like anything new for some of you mothers, but recently a friend revealed a truth to me. A truth that may seem trivial or something that you and I really already know, but it was said so plainly to me that it's impact seemed resounding! You see there are many different displays of God's relationship with us, the parent child relationship is one of those. Read through the last few paragraphs again, can you see it? No matter what we've done, the mistakes we've made, at the end of the day our Father's heart overflows with love for us. He doesn't see us as the bad things we've done, He just sees His child! It is a freeing thought that once you have asked to be forgiven of sin, that you no longer are defined by it!

How much do you love your children? How much more does the Father love His children?