Every day at about 7:00 a.m. my husband and I take our little cocker spaniel mix for a walk around the neighborhood. It all starts out nice. He sniffs the ground like a hound dog on the hunt. He chases leaves and takes care of “business” if you know what I mean. He’s happy as a clam. As we walk up the hill and into a more populated walkway, my husband runs ahead as the lookout. “Do you see anything?” I yell. “Nope, all clear!” We get half past the first block and what comes around the corner ahead…another dog! We know that within a matter of minutes Milo will catch a glimpse of that dog and the fun will begin! As predicted Milo sees him and starts barking and pulling, I’m sure if he could speak human as well as he understands it, he’d be saying, “Let me at that furball!” We instantly increase our pace pulling him as we pass the dog, now on the other side of the street. Milo barks and pulls as we drag him away. About a block later Milo finally calms down and resumes his sniffing. I shake my head and say, “Milo, you are a problem child!” But as I always tell my husband, Milo is MY problem child! I love my dog to the moon and back. I’m his “mom.”
I thought about that as I sat in church listening to the message this week. I am God’s problem child. We all are. But we, who believe, are HIS children! God’s word says, “But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, Jacob, (I always write my own name in there) He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 Yes, we are HIS! That means forever. So even when we mess up, God doesn’t discard us like yesterday’s newspaper. Do we fall short… Yes. Does God care…Yes. Are there consequences? Yes. Does He cast us away? No!
There’s a beautiful song called “I Belong to You” by Katheryn Scott . It goes, “Not angels , not demons, no power on earth or heaven, not distance nor danger, no trouble now or ever. Nothing can take me from Your great love, forever this truth remains, I belong, I belong to You…”
That is the truth. In Romans 8:38-39 tells us just that, And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus gave His all for us. That is love. And we, even with our shortcomings and sin, we can’t undo what God has done at Calvary. When we fail Him, Jesus whispers to our hearts, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:16 Jesus will never leave or forsake us. (Heb 13:5) Our heavenly Father will never abandon us.
As much as I love my Milo, God loves us a gazillion times more! So, if you are feeling unloved this day, know Someone loves you very much. You are God’s child, trusting in Jesus. If you have fallen short or missed the mark, know that while you may feel alienated from God, it is you who have moved. Not Him. Repent and draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)
