Looking Like the Father

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"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it does not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as he is pure."  I John 3:1-3

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a child I couldn't imagine loving anyone more then my parents. Years later when I met my husband, I experienced new meaning for the word love. Then the day I was at the hospital holding my newborn baby for the first time, I experienced overwhelming love. As a child, wife, and mother I truly thought I understood what love was. I have to say though, I really understood very little about love.

It was four years ago that God brought us three children that we adopted into our family. It wasn't an emotion that brought us together. It was a choice. We chose them to be a part of our family. It wasn't always easy. The natural bond between a parent and child did not exist at first. It took time to build. There were hard times. It was during these times, that I began to appreciate what my Heavenly Father had done for me.

God chose me to be his child, yet I resisted for a time. There are still times I reject his love. There are so many times I go against his leading in my life. On occasion, I have not heeded his discipline. I have not listened to his wisdom. Many times I act as our children acted. Yet He's still there, and He continues to lavish His love on me. I'm so humbled by what He's done for me.

As a parent, I find I am so inept at offering this sort of love that God has for me to any of my children. So often selfishness gets in the way. Life is a purifying and refining process.

I look forward to the day when I see my Heavenly Father. His work in my life will be made complete. I at last shall be like Him. Someone will be able to say, "She looks like her Father."

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