Saturday, March 15, 2014

Keep Teaching Me

What love the Father has lavished on us, so we could be called His children! Lyrics from a song by Matthew West (I know, it comes from other places as well, but for the moment, this is where I'm hearing it).  The song is called Hello, My Name is  .  It's an incredibly powerful song and the lyrics I keep hearing are in the bridge section.  If you didn't know, yes, I am a musician, particularly a music teacher.  Music speaks to me, it is a language to me as much as English.  So, when I'm looking at lyrics, it's occasionally like reading a letter or book.  So, the song starts out with things that we deal with - regret, defeat  - both common to our daily life.  We encounter both of these sometimes daily.  It is our response to them that dictates our feelings and thoughts.  It is when we can respond - with authority and confidence - that "I am a child of the one true king" that regret and defeat have no place in our lives.  While this is encouraging, it is that bridge - the things that bring us from one place to another - that is different.  It repeats itself - not because there aren't any other words, but that our minds need to hear it, over and over, before we begin to believe it.  "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" I John 3:1a. 

I have been learning new and different things over the past year in particular (well maybe 2 years). My relationship with God the Father has always been an easy one - I had a great example of a father in my dad.  Approaching God is not all that different from that.  I could go to my dad with anything and have confidence that he would be able to fix it or give me Godly, sound advice.  I didn't ever question it.  I was convinced (and still am) that the Lord in Heaven spoke to my dad.  So, having God as my Heavenly Father was easy.  Now as an adult, I have many friends that didn't have that same relationship with their dad.  (A realization that breaks my heart).  They struggle in their relationship - how/why would God love them; I can't do enough to make God happy - all things that really are untruths; things about a relationship with God that keep them from really experiencing all that God has for them.  As a parent, I begin to understand what kind of love God has for us.  I LOVE my kids - would do anything within my power to make their world better.  My love for my kids is NOTHING is comparison with God's love for me -His child. 

So, for now, I'll just keep hearing about the incredibly awesome, wonderfully comforting, unbelievably humbling thought that God - creator of the universe, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present - wants to lavish love on me.  That being said, He wants the same for you.