We are all

Growing up, I lived in complete fear of God.  It wasn't necessarily the teaching of my preachers and mentors, it was more my guilty conscience holding on to the rights and wrongs.  I thought that if I did a bad thing that it would forever haunt me and my children would even suffer. 

As I started to grow in my faith and in the Word, I started to understand the love He has for us.  After Babbling Brook was born, a new light bulb went off.  I started to think of Him for what he is, OUR FATHER and not just God.  There is nothing Babbling Brook could ever do that will make me stop loving her.  Yes, when she disobeys us, she has consequences but I still love her.  This is the same for our Father.  There is nothing we can do that will make him stop loving us.  Period. 

We have all had people hurt us and at some point we may have even prayed for their revenge.  We have all probably said, "God will take care of them." And in our eyes that meant, He will punish them and make them suffer the way we are suffering now.  It is easy to get caught up in the drama of who needs revenge especially when someone hurts us or someone we love.  I know this because I am guilty but I also know that I, too, have hurt people. 

Now that we have a second child on the way, I am understanding God's love for us all even more.  Our son will disobey us just as Babbling Brook disobeys us but we will love him the same.  We all fall short, we all sin, we are no more special than the person next to us, than the person who has hurt us deeply, or even the person who has loved us unconditionally.  We are all God's children.  He loves us the same.  He forgives us the same.