For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 8:38-39
The other morning, I greeted my 9-year-old son Andrew by stretching out my arms to give him a hug. In the proud tradition of snotty preteens since time immemorial, he ducked under my arms to dodge the hug and keep walking.
I didn’t respond in any way—didn’t say anything, didn’t scowl, didn’t even roll my eyes. Again, he’s a 9-year-old boy, I know that kind of thing is par for the course. But it was interesting what happened next.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Actually…” he said, and he threw his arms around me for a hug. “Good morning, Daddy!”
It occurs to me that our little encounter could be illustrative of the believer’s relationship with their Father in heaven. If we’re honest, we often regard God the way a preteen does his parents—we take him for granted. We know he loves us, we’ve heard it a million times, it’s not something we question or worry about at this point. So it feels permissible, even comfortable, to stiff arm him from time to time. We ignore biblical commands that feel overbearing, we miss a few Sundays because church is starting to feel rote, we speed through prayers or skip them entirely.
But even when our hearts are far from him, the Lord never stops loving us. When you’re too cool, too busy, or too disobedient for faith, he remains steadfast. When you question and doubt, he never wavers in his care. When you’re ready to walk away, he never turns his back.
So maybe today is the day for your “actually” moment. In humility and repentance, turn around and throw your arms around your Father in heaven. Don’t let your confusion or hurt or pride win out over love. Just come home to your Father. After all, he hasn’t gone anywhere, and he’s ready to wrap you in his arms.
- Romans 8:38-39
The other morning, I greeted my 9-year-old son Andrew by stretching out my arms to give him a hug. In the proud tradition of snotty preteens since time immemorial, he ducked under my arms to dodge the hug and keep walking.
I didn’t respond in any way—didn’t say anything, didn’t scowl, didn’t even roll my eyes. Again, he’s a 9-year-old boy, I know that kind of thing is par for the course. But it was interesting what happened next.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Actually…” he said, and he threw his arms around me for a hug. “Good morning, Daddy!”
It occurs to me that our little encounter could be illustrative of the believer’s relationship with their Father in heaven. If we’re honest, we often regard God the way a preteen does his parents—we take him for granted. We know he loves us, we’ve heard it a million times, it’s not something we question or worry about at this point. So it feels permissible, even comfortable, to stiff arm him from time to time. We ignore biblical commands that feel overbearing, we miss a few Sundays because church is starting to feel rote, we speed through prayers or skip them entirely.
But even when our hearts are far from him, the Lord never stops loving us. When you’re too cool, too busy, or too disobedient for faith, he remains steadfast. When you question and doubt, he never wavers in his care. When you’re ready to walk away, he never turns his back.
So maybe today is the day for your “actually” moment. In humility and repentance, turn around and throw your arms around your Father in heaven. Don’t let your confusion or hurt or pride win out over love. Just come home to your Father. After all, he hasn’t gone anywhere, and he’s ready to wrap you in his arms.
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