How did the Father do it?

I sat, staring into the innocent face of my newborn nephew, Aidan, thinking that if I could protect him from every pain in this life I would. A second thought followed: how did The Father do it? How did the Father love us so much that He gave His Son to pay the price for our sin? How did He possibly bear it? He was once a tiny little baby, just like Aidan- helpless and totally dependent on others. He was the image of the invisible God, in need of a diaper change, and every step He took led Him closer to the cross.

Possibly the most well-known Bible verse reverberated in my soul, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.

That type of love is hard to imagine on a normal day, but holding my nephew, that verse felt so impossibly huge and deep. He’s not my son and I still can’t begin to imagine allowing any harm to come his way for any reason whatsoever, even if it would save someone else. How did the Father do it? How could He possibly love us that much and, beyond that mind-boggling question, how do I still find myself doubting the Father’s love for me?

This Father goes to every length imaginable to redeem us and reconcile us back to Himself, even when we continually fail to obey His ways. He moves in our lives so that we can know Him and enjoy Him and we still wonder if He’ll be good to us. We’ve seen faithfulness that stretches thousands of years and then wonder if He’ll be faithful to us.

“Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:9-11

I’m just a sweet little boy’s crazy aunt who wants to love him to pieces and do anything I can for him… and today I am finding incredible refuge and peace knowing that I am deeply loved by the High King of Heaven, who is moving on my behalf with a love, much more radical than I can ever begin to imagine.

Do you need to be reminded of your Father’s love today? He has good plans for your life, even if it doesn’t feel like that right now. His thoughts for you are so beautiful and He delights over you with songs of joy and victory. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Your Father loves you so much, beloved.

Take heart.