June 11th, 2007
The Distance of Love
“And may you have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
Ephesians 3:18
Today was my last “real” day of Nursery School for the year. As I went through all the routine, I found myself thinking, “I can’t believe this is the last time we’ll do the weather with these kids…I can’t believe this is the last time we’ll eat snack all together.” In fact, last night as I was putting the finishing touches on their pictorial yearbooks, I actually began crying knowing that I will never see some of these kids again, and even if I do it will be in a totally new light – just a passing “Hi” instead of a big smile and hug. Then, as I was planning the graduating ceremony I began dreading our last singing of “Goodbye Friends” that we have ended each morning with but that will have so much more meaning at graduation. Now, I won’t say that this past year, my first at teaching this age level, was a breeze. I won’t even say that I enjoyed every single day. I will say, however, that I grew to love these kids and at times as I scanned over the entire room of busy little bodies a feeling of peace and joy came over me. I know I love my own children, but I didn’t realize I could so deeply love so many children! How much more does God love us!
I know we say that, sing that, encourage each other with that, but do we actually believe that God loves us more than our finite minds could possibly fathom? Think of the widest and deepest ocean you have ever seen. God’s love for you is bigger. Remember the time you saw a snow-capped mountain so far in the distance you could barely distinguish it from the sky. God’s love for you is longer than that distance. Look into up past the clouds then imagine outer space to the sun and beyond. God’s love for you is higher than that. Do you understand that? I don’t. I cannot imagine loving anyone that much. But God has that much love for you…for you.
Last Sunday Tim preached on the “winter” in our lives. I don’t know all of your circumstances, but I know many of you are in “winter” right now. As you fight your way through, questioning circumstances, battling finances, health or grief, may I encourage you to not give up on God? We all go through times when life seems too bleak to bear, when things are not fair and the pain is not what we want to deal with right now. As things crumble around you, reach out and grab a hold of God’s love. Remember – it is wider, longer, higher and deeper than any pain you may be experiencing. It may not feel like it now, but He is the solid rock under our feet. Don’t let go of Him.