No ordinary love

I have a lot of different kinds of love inside of me. It's a shame that there is only one word in our language to describe them all. Saying I love my husband, or my dog, or summertime, or God all mean drastically different things. Some loves are fully centered around feelings or desires, and others are a lot more work. The love I feel as a mother for my kids is often gut-wrenching and so bittersweet that it brings me to tears on a regular basis. Some loves fill you up. Some empty you out in a way you didn't think possible. Sometimes my love is loyal, sometimes needy. Sometimes it is wise, and sometimes it is missing altogether, having been totally dissolved by frustration.

Shocking, unexpected love is the kind God likes best, I think. That's the kind that sent a newborn baby instead of a flashy king to save us. And that's the kind that gives me an answer when I ask, "Where am I?" and "Who am I right now?" Usually, it's, "Right where I want you to be," and "You are my beautiful daughter." It is shocking that God knows my name, knows my every thought before I think it, and still loves me so much that He shows up! He comes through, He counsels me, He protects me - and never in the way that I expect. That is what I want to do for my loved ones. I want to love them with a love that grabs them by the shoulders and shouts, "You are such a big deal!" And I want you to experience that too; you are a big deal to the God of the universe, and He'll prove it to you. If you don't already, you should expect the unexpected.