Guess How Much I Love You?

 

    Little children's books can be such treasures, can't they? So many baby books are full of sweet innocence and pure happiness. I have several titles that I would be happy to add to my collection of "hopefully needed someday", but there is one that stands out strongly. "Guess How Much I Love You" is a delightful baby book. Big Nut Brown Hare is putting Little Nut Brown Hare to bed and junior asks a childlike question, "Guess how much I love you?". Big Nut Brown Hare responds that there is no way he could guess the correct answer to that and then Little Nut Brown Hare, instead of going on to bed, begins a series of attempts from Little Nut Brown Hare to show the size of his love for his father. However, Big Nut Brown Hair always can outdo him. 

    Recently, I was struggling through a moment of feeling discouraged. I think it was related to feeling single. I was walking back to our girl's room for few moments of (hopefully) undisturbed quiet and as I headed down the hallway in that direction, the sweet voice of love covered my heart with these words, "Guess how much I love you". If I was not already on the verge of crying, I certainly was then. Tears filled my eyes as the comfort of the Holy Spirit's question spread a soothing balm over my hurting heart. 

    I could not guess. It would be impossible. No measurement is even close to being able to describe or compare to the love that God has for me...for you. John 15:13 says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." No man has love like Jesus has loved. No one can or will ever be able to come near comparing to the depth of that love. Earthly love is precious. I anticipate the man and marriage the Lord will bless me with. I pray for the children that the Lord may, in His kindness, entrust to me. I am grateful for the friendships I am gifted with and sharpened by. In all areas of earthly relationships though, they are simple, beautiful, pictures of Himself. They are pieces of His character, Who He is; they are representations of His love. And just like Little Nut Brown Hare, I can, and should, attempt to show my Heavenly Father just how much I love Him, but I will always fall short of the purity of His love for me, He will always outdo me, and for that I am thankful.

    "Guess how much I love you?" has become a sort of anthem for me lately. It is my reminder that I am covered with a love that cannot ever fail and is better than any love that this earth filled with broken people can offer.  

"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:33-35, 37-39