A Father’s Love
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (John 15:9)
The memory resurfaces. Bubbling up emotions that have been suppressed. Without warning you are transported back to an event that leaves your heart pierced with anguish. A tear forms. The droplet begins to slide down your cheek, leaving a streak of pain. You embrace the man you love into your arms, the father of your children, as you see the strength that he bears be shattered by truth.
“Two of my son’s are gone. They are never coming back. This is our reality.” The outer exterior of my husband’s frame is overtaken by the inner pain of brokenness. The trickle of a tear turns into sobs as the truth sets in deeper. The reminder of Father’s Day takes on new meaning as our family structure tries to remain strong with two of our four pillars missing. How does a family continue on with a broken foundation?
You build your life on the foundation of God’s truth. It is the Father’s love that holds you together. It is remaining in His love that keeps the walls from tumbling down. For there is nothing greater in this world than the love that our Lord has for us.
Over the years, people have expressed, “No parent should ever have to bury a child.” As a parent, I have done this two times and the loss is unbearable. As a child, I have also buried both of my parents. This is a whole other type of pain. Each loss causes my heart to ache. All of them, unable to be compared. To love deeply is to lose deeply, but it is the love that Jesus has for me, and the love I have for Him, that carries me through.
By remaining in God’s love I am able to see the picture of my life through His eyes. I am able to see that my sorrow has brought me incredible strength. The empathy that spills over into others from me, was first filled by my sorrows. The strength within me to hold my husband as a wave of grief consumes him, was bestowed within me from the love of my Father. The strength within me that keeps me from collapsing from the reality of my losses, comes from the reality of a bigger love. The love of our Heavenly Father.
We may love differently, and have been loved by others in different ways. What we all have in common though, is the everlasting love from God Almighty. Love and Light to you ❤️
