So much love, we share a toothbrush...

It's true. Kind of. It's true that I don't think it's possible for me to love Chris Conlee any more than I do. And last I checked, yesterday, he still feels the same way about me. I’m grateful for the love we share. And, as of August 18th, we started sharing a toothbrush, too... but just the base of an electric one. (I thought I should clarify that before your gag reflex kicks in from either mushiness or the thought of shared bristles!)The reason for this new bond, however, isn’t a manifestation of our love for each other. Rather, it’s the fact that – apparently – we’ll do just about anything for our children. I’d bought our son, Mark, a new electric toothbrush for the start of his college journey, which somehow went missing in the final days of packing. Unwilling to make a repeat purchase and wanting him to have everything just right, I handed over my base and hoped the new one would surface.[bctt tweet="Our love for our children pales when compared with God’s love for each of us."]Over the course of the move in, we gave our son everything but the shirts off our backs (although Chris’s closet is missing a couple of items!). Why? Because we love him. We’ll do the same thing next fall when our daughter leaves for college. And just before all the parents pat themselves on the back for being generous, let me point out something even more significant: our love for our children pales when compared with God’s love for each of us. The gospel of Matthew says it this way:

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!(Matthew 7:9-11)

Many Christians I interact with view God as harsh and punitive. In their mind, He’s definitely not the giver of good gifts. Sometimes, He’s the One they hold responsible for an unexplainable pain. In reality, the heart of God is 100% for us. Just as our heart breaks when our children are struggling, so does our Heavenly Father’s.We must stop listening to the whisper of the liar that God is always mad. The truth is that He desires to bless and protect you. The truth is that He sees you as His child and longs for you to trust Him and experience the fullness of life that He created. God is for you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.[bctt tweet="God is for you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise."]