A Love that Unearths the Depths of Our Hearts

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.—Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

My favorite part of the day is after the wrestling has commenced, the last sip of water has been drunk, and teeth have been brushed. Once all the chaos has subsided and I’ve tried my best to patiently answer the questions of a curious mind that is fighting off sleep, I dim the lights and listen to the sweet prayers of an innocent child. There is something so sacred about putting a young child to sleep.

“Do you know how much I love you?”

I run my fingers through his soft hair as his precious head sinks into his pillow. He closes his eyes, smiles, and gently nods his head up and down.

“Beyond measure, that’s how much I love you,” I whispered.

I am blessed to have known the unconditional love of a mother as a young child, and I still know without a doubt that my mom will always love me as only a good mother can. However, I didn’t grow up with a father who tucked me in at night. Not that I thought he was incapable of loving me from afar—he just wasn’t close enough to feel the warmth of his heart and reciprocate that love.

This is not a sob story by any means, but I fathom it would have been easier to accept Our Father’s love had I truly known the love of an earthly father from the beginning. It took years and a hard season of refinement to see God as Abba, a loving, good Father, captivated by His undeserving daughter. That’s the kind of love that I prayed for my children to have, and God generously answered my prayers with a husband who loves our children and me beyond measure.

It wasn’t long after our wedding that I prayed for someone to love my mom, because I didn’t want her to be lonely. When I prayed those prayers, it never occurred to me that the byproduct of a kind and loving spouse for my mom would be an earthly father for me. I was grown and married, and I didn’t think I needed a dad, but God gifted me with one who loves me well. I am beyond grateful for the way God answered those prayers.

The Immeasurable Love of Christ

Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesus is the same for us today. That we may be “rooted and established in love.” As we give and receive love, whether it is love kept or lost, we begin to grasp the immeasurable love of Christ. We open ourselves up to experience the kind of love that, in only the way our heavenly Father can, starts to unearth the depths of our hearts.

Friend, I know life can be lonely at times. Love can hurt. It can be unfair. But pure, unconditional love is only a prayer away. Know that there is never a second in any day that you are not loved beyond measure by our Savior.

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Questions for Reflection:

1.       Do you know how much Our Father loves you? Write down three ways you have felt His love in the past. Remember His good ways.

2.       Write or say a prayer of praise focusing on God’s steadfast love, mercy, and grace for you.

Please Pray:

Dear Father, thank you for loving me beyond measure. Soften my heart so that I may love others well and emulate Christ with my actions and speech. Teach me how to love as Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. May I experience this kind of love in return on earth, while knowing full well that Your love surpasses all human affections. Your love alone, Lord, is what completes me, and I am so grateful to be called Your beloved. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.