Realizations of Pure Love

You know what's nice, as a stay-at-home-mom? Having another sahm just down the road from me that I can call my best friend.

We text each other randomly throughout the day, maybe once or twice, maybe ten times, maybe none at all. Just little things- making plans to get our families together, asking for reassurance that something the baby is doing is alright, a funny story, or a realization that we have had and don't want to lose in the hectic-ness that is being a mom. Not having it until recently makes me realize I have always needed this type of friendship.

The other day, my dear, sweet friend and I were having a realization moment. Children were asleep or occupied, so we each had a minute to breathe and think.

It started with one of these pictures:

She had posted something similar of her daughter in a bassinet with a couple months' difference. By the way, those are my boys after a month's time. Crazy, huh?

We both exclaimed over the amount of change our babies had undergone, and yet they still looked the same to us. And a sudden realization hit me.

That is the main reason my mom, your mom, everyone's childhood caregiver, still sees them as a little baby. That is why I will forever look into my sons' eyes and see the little baby I pulled out of the water to my chest. I will not see their actions- successes or failures. I will just see them with eyes of pure love.

The children woke up or needed a new activity, so our precious moment was over for the day, but I kept that thought in my heart. Then, as I was laying down to sleep that night, mulling it over, God sent me another realization.

He sees us the same way, only in reverse. He does not see our sins, our failures, our short comings. He sees only the person, the soul he created. Full of goodness and love - love that He gave to us. He sees us as we will be at the end of our race. We are His children.

There is absolutely nothing in the world my boys could do that would make me stop loving them. And so if I, imperfect as I am, can love my children so completely and still see innocent babies when they are 30, how much more must our Heavenly Father love us and see us as we truly are?  My heart overflows just thinking about how much He loves me.

The only two commandments under the new covenant, as my husband pointed out to me in Romans, are to believe in Jesus as our Savior and to love one another.  That's the thing about love. If you give it away, it only grows.

So that love my Father gave to me, I first give it back to Him. Then I shower upon you, as you read this, all the love I can muster.