Love it when this happens....

Something hit me so hard this morning that I wept. I'm not even sure exactly what brought it on, but I started thinking about being God's child. This term has become so familiar to me I have ceased to be amazed by it, and I'm sure many of you have similar under-whelmed feelings even just reading it right now: God's child.

I was standing at the kitchen counter pouring my coffee (my necessary kick-in-the- pants beverage to start the day) and it struck me, I am God's child. Let me try to explain why this is so meaningful to me today. I have two daughters. When I hear a little voice floating in from the living room saying, "Help Mommy... stuck," or "Help! Mommy! Hurt!!!" I drop whatever I'm doing and go to see what is the matter. Often my little girl will come up to me and hold out her finger saying, "Kiss, Mommy, kiss?" And I stoop down to her and kiss her little finger. When she is overwhelmed with her little circumstances I take her in my arms and let her snuggle up close for hugs. My heart is so filled with love for this precious child that sometimes I can't even stand it. When others look at my child they may think she is cute or clever or really annoying... but I see her in all her cuteness, cleverness and annoyingness (is that a word?) and love her for her soul, not for her actions or appearance.

Don't tune me out here: God sees us as His children.

...because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

And this morning the next verse became real to me:

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

Right here in my kitchen this morning, the Spirit testified with my spirit that I am God's child. He is my Daddy Father. When I am overwhelmed and need a hug... When I am hurt... When I realize my childlike innocence about the hardships of life has gone... When my tears mingle with the tears of the child in my arms... God is my Father. He sees me in all my ugliness, rebellion and stupidity, and He loves me because Christ's sacrifice has made me His child.