Recognizing God's Love for All of Us

In light of some recent events that have occurred, and old scars that have resurfaced, my reflection day this week was spent pondering this very thing. It's something I think we've heard a lot through the years, especially if you regularly attend church or Bible study, or read scripture on a regular basis. Some may even throw it into a conversation if you're feeling down or bad about something. And if you live and work where I am this year, you are reminded of it every day. I guess the challenge is recognizing this ourselves, taking it to heart, realizing how it can work through you, and really believing you and all those around you are worth it.

Each day I walk into the daycare, I am confronted with the challenge of allowing God's love to work through me. Most days this is easy and it happens without much thought, but there are definitely times I have to stop and think about my reactions. They are obviously here for a reason, and no matter what the situation may be, they deserve my love and positive attention. Easier said than done, but I try to make a conscious effort.

One of the hardest things for me to remember sometimes is to save some of that love for myself. I can very easily give it all to one person, or pour it out onto all of my kids some days, or use it in many other ways. But many times I don't save enough of it for myself. It's a flaw I'm willing to admit I have, and it's definitely something I need to work on. Why is it so difficult for some of us to admit that we are worth so much more than we give ourselves credit for? Is it stubbornness? Blindness? Really, what is it? Will we ever understand? I, for one, don't have the answers for any of those questions. So, I guess if you ask me now, that's one of the most important things I need to work on for the next 7 months, and oh, for the rest of my life.

And since I've had this hymn stuck in my head for the past few days, I picked out my favorite verse. I think it goes well with what I'm talking about. I might change "son" to "daughter" but hey, let's not get technical here. It's from "Be Thou My Vision", one of my favorites.

"Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word,

I ever with thee and thou with me Lord;

Thou my great Father, I thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one."