Tag Archives: God’s love

by

Matchless Love

We have recently been blessed by the birth of our first great-grandchild.

Alice Caroline Ledford

What joy she has brought to our family! We are thankful for her health and enjoying the response to her arrival from grandparents, aunts, great aunts and uncles, and second cousins.

Alice is surrounded by LOVE.

Our extended family is enamored of Alice and I am already being accused of dominating the available time for holding her. I just can’t seem to get enough cuddle time. I have to remind myself of the time honored advice – “let sleeping babies lie”. We haven’t had a little baby in our immediate family for 9 years and I now have “Grandma’s Precious” again. (It is hard to call grandsons who are over 6 ft. tall “precious”)

I was talking to my friend, Joyce, about God’s love for us and she was reminding me that God loves us – not because of what we DO – but because of who He is. We can never DO anything to make God love us more – His love is unconditional. As the old hymn states – God’s love is “so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all”

Our love for Alice is just a tiny reflection of God’s matchless love for us. Alice has not done anything to earn our love. She eats, sleeps, cries, poops, and repeats those behaviors – all to our delight. Delight because those behaviors demonstrate her health and development as a human being. Her crying doesn’t change our love. A messy diaper doesn’t change our love. A smile swells our hearts – but it doesn’t change a love that is already full to overflowing.

Ephesians 3: 18-19 explains the power of God’s love in our lives.

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

What a wonderful picture of God’s love for us! We can’t fully understand it – yet as I hold little Alice and my heart swells with love – I get a glimpse of my Father’s great love for me.

by

Steadfast Love

Each year, right around Mother’s Day, these rhododendron bushes along our driveway bloom in all their glory. This picture does not do justice to the magnificence of these flowers. Their size and abundance amaze me every year.

I can take no credit for them. The late Charles Mason gifted one of these rhododendron bushes to his lovely wife Peggy Queen Mason each year for Mother’s Day. They remain a living legacy of their family.

When we purchased our home in 2005 it was November. I thought it was nice that the driveway had these mature bushes along it and I was pleased that they were evergreen.

Then, the following spring, the week of Mother’s Day, they burst forth in glorious purple. How pleased we were! And they faithfully bloom each year. Unlike my hydrangeas, which got frozen in March, these mature plants withstand the uncertainties of weather and steadfastly bloom each year.

This is a lovely reminder of the faithful love of God for his children.

  • it will show up in surprising ways
  • it is steadfast, reliable
  • it is not dependent on circumstances
  • it is unconditional

The comparison is not perfect. A large white pine tree fell on one bush last year and took it out. Fortunately, a new shoot is growing from the roots. These bushes won’t live forever – God’s love will – it is eternal, steadfast.

Lamentations 3:22-24 says

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!”

In My Garden with God

by

My Father’s Handiwork

     2006

My sister-in-law, Mitzi, recently sent me this picture of my father collecting tiny Japanese maples under the beautiful “mother” tree in her yard in Eugene, Oregon. Dad brought these two inch high seedlings home to North Carolina on the airplane and planted them in a sheltered place.

Now, fourteen years later we have several beautiful trees and so do our daughters! One even traveled north to Wheaton when Mom and Dad moved there to a retirement community. These Japanese maples are especially beautiful in the fall.

All from little seedlings.

The greatest blessing to me is the remembrance of my father whenever I see these trees.

I realized after Mitzi sent me this picture that I have reminders of my father ALL OVER OUR YARD! His handiwork is a constant reminder that my Dad lived here with us for over 8 years, and not only did he live here, but he left a legacy of beauty.

Which leads me to the next realization  – my Heavenly Father has left His legacy – all creation – as a constant reminder of His presence.

Just as I look at a tree or flower that Dad planted and am reminded of him, I recognize that God, in His creative power has made all things, including humans. When I see people, I am reminded that God created humans in His image.

“Red, brown, yellow, black and white, we’re ALL precious in His sight.”

Caring for our garden and the plants Dad left here honors his memory.

Caring for other people honors God who created them.

If I am not showing love and respect for ALL people, I am not honoring the God who created them. In this time of turmoil and unrest in our country, I must do all I can to honor God by showing honor to His creation – the entire human race.

In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus answers a question from one of the religious leaders – “Which is the most important commandment?”

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

When I love my neighbor as myself. I am honoring my Heavenly Father by caring for His creation.

My challenge right now is to show love to all people, not only those I agree with. Because each person is God’s handiwork and He loves them, so will I.

2020

 

In My Garden with God #26