Do you remember superlatives from your English classes? A superlative is the greatest of any set of objects that are being compared. You recognize a superlative by the –est ending of the adjective…tallest, fastest, funniest. When you have a 3-syllable adjective it is preceded by the word “most”… most important, most valuable.
My son, who is in kindergarten, was recently taught the comparison (-er & more) and superlative form of adjectives by his 3rd grade sister. So he loves going around and showing off this newly acquired knowledge.
But his most (see what I did there) recent application of superlatives took my breath away and really has had my wheels spinning for the last 3 weeks.
Every night when I tuck my son in bed I say, “I love you.” Just like I’m sure you do or did. Sometimes he beats me to it.
So awhile back when he beat me to it I started saying… “I love you more” instead of saying, “I love you too.” But with his lesson in superlatives my son shot back… “I love you most!” It stopped me in my tracks…and I responded… “Impossible!”
Of course, he said it wasn’t impossible and he truly loves me “the most.” But there is no way his well-educated 6-year-old mind could possibly fathom the love I have for him. One day he will when he has his own children. Then he’ll truly understand what “Impossible!” means.
Now it has become our little thing we do. “I love you!” “I love you more!” “I love you most!” “Impossible!”
But this really got me thinking about the love God says He has for us. What if I really have a 6-year-old understanding of how deep, how wide, and how long my Father’s love is for me?
I’m well-educated myself and I don’t think I really have a clue about God’s love for me. It’s truly impossible for me to understand and grasp the love my Heavenly Father has for me.
What if we started from that place when we thought about God?
What if you assumed that God loves you more than you can possibly fathom?
Any parent who has had their child question their love for them understands the child doesn’t really have the capacity to understand all of the different dimensions of love.
Love is concerned with what’s best for you.
Sometimes love causes a parent to withhold something the child thinks will make them happy, not out of malice, but out of true love. (Think junk food.)
What if your unanswered prayer isn’t God being uncaring, but instead is evidence of his deepest love?
What if God’s delay in fixing _______ is really Him allowing you to develop the character and skills you’ll most need in the future?
Just like you want to rush in to fix the middle school drama in your tween’s life but you don’t. You know these small potatoes are preparing and equipping them for adulthood. Stepping in to intervene would short-circuit their character development and relationship skills. No matter how much you want to take the pain away, in their best interest you let them experience a little pain to save them from greater pain later on.
I point this out because…Your view of God matters.
How do you view God?
Do you view Him with His arms crossed shaking His head in disappointment?
Or do you view Him with His arms wide open and smiling?
If you view God as your Slave Master, Boss, CEO you are going to respond differently than if you view Him as your Father. Sons and daughters have a different relationship than a slave. Friends interact differently than forced labor.
Jesus never called His followers slaves. He told lots of stories about slaves/servants (with 1 in 5 people being one in the Roman Empire it was a relevant illustration) but Jesus never called His followers slaves. In fact, Jesus calls us His friend. Sure some of Jesus’ disciples called themselves slaves/servants but Jesus never called them that. Over and over again we see that we are called “sons & daughters.” Jesus even taught us that when we pray we were to say, “Our Father…”
John 15:15 “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”
Galatians 4:7 “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”
Romans 8:15-17 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
As a pastor many people I speak with don’t view their relationship with God that way. It’s almost like they see God as an unpleasable boss. Maybe the term “father” is a painful title because of what you experienced with your biological father. But separate the two. God is the Father you’ve always dreamed of. God is the parent you are striving to be.
Your problem is not that you don’t love God enough, but that you don’t realize how much God loves you.
I was reminded of this when my son said, “I love you most!”
God really does love you most! He proved it by sending His Son to die on the cross for you and me. Why would anyone reject such love?
When you think of God what mental image comes to mind? Based on your answer I can tell how much you understand God’s love for you.
If you ever feel God is distant. If you ever feel like God doesn’t care. If you ever feel like your circumstances make it hard to believe in a loving God…
Just remember God loves you most! It’s impossible for you to love anything more than your Father loves you!
