The text he sent was short and sweet. Really, it was very sweet. My husband is not a terribly romantic guy so when I get a text like that -- seemingly just out of the blue -- I celebrate it!! It said simply, "Wherever you are, I love you." Of course I responded in kind.
This made my whole day! I smiled every time I thought of it and even shared with a few of my co-workers. Isn't it nice to know you're being thought of by someone you love?
Robert didn't know where I was ... or what I might be doing. He didn't know when I might get a chance to see his text. But whenever I did see it, he wanted me to know he cares about me.
Robert might now have known what I was doing or where I was at the particular moment on that particular day; but God did. Our Heavenly Father knows where we are all the time. Not only that, but He loves us all the time wherever we go. HIS love is constant - unconditional -eternal -- never changing. The question is do we love Him?
God wants to be with us. He longs to be a part of our lives. Of course, He already knows what is happening in our lives; but God wants us to tell Him.
Ah, but here's the thing. We make the choice to stay in touch. You see God loves us - absolutely no way of denying that, but how often do we show our love for Him? How often do we spend time thinking of our Heavenly Father?
It is much like a parent and child relationship. I remember as my boys were growing up, I often felt like getting them to talk was like pulling hen's teeth. Many children reach a point in their lives where they don't share as much as they used to. Their worlds grow beyond the realm of their parents.
But a parent's love never changes. They still want the close connection they had with their children when they were younger. Oh now don't get me wrong, parents want their kids to have friends and enjoy themselves.
A parent doesn't want to hold a child back; but they do long to sit and talk to them - they want to be included in some way. Parents out there can relate. If you aren't a parent, you may remember how it felt to have a parent ask you 10,000 questions about your day. It was only their way of trying to stay connected.
How connected are we to our Holy Father? All God has ever wanted -- even from the time of Adam and Eve -- is to be with His creation. God wants us to be in touch with Him in the same way a parent wants to be in touch with their child. He only wants to be included in our lives. It hurts Him when we don't do that. It is because He loves us so deeply!
How often do we spend time in study so that we can know how to live a godly life and be pleasing to our Father? How often do we talk to Him in prayer? Personally, I need to work on both of these things. Sometimes I get so caught up in every day life I forget to include the One I need the most.
Ah, but the Lord never forgets us. He knows everything about us. He even knows the number of hairs on our head! He waits for us to make the choice to call on Him. God created us with free will. We aren't programmed like robots. Praying and Bible study are things we do automatically. We don't run on a predetermined script. We CHOOSE. and our loving Heavenly Father longs for us to make the choice. See, He already knows all about whatever we might tell Him; but He wants to hear it from us.
Remember the parable of the prodigal son? We can learn so much from this lesson, I know. But one thing I always think of is the choices the young man makes. He chooses to go away and spend his money on "riotous living." Eventually, he regrets this decision. He "comes to himself" and decides to go back to his father.
The picture Christ paints of the father is indeed touching. He didn't beg his son to stay; and he missed him every day. But it was the son's choice. I'm sure you know what Jesus said about the father? We find it in Luke 15:20 -
"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion,
and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
I believe the father had been looking for him and hoping he would come back almost since the day he left. Yet, he did not run to greet his son until the son made the choice to come home. The son had to be ready to come back. Only then did the father run to welcome him home.
God will always choose to meet us .... wherever we are .... whenever we choose to remember Him and spend time with Him. He loves us wherever we are whether it's at home, at work, on the road or on vacation or .. well, wherever we are! It really is that simple. Choose to connect with Him. Choose to get to know His Son. Jesus told us the only way to get to the Father is through Him. Become a friend of Christ and keep His commandments. I know you will be glad you did!
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)
Christ above all things,
Robin
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