DEVOTION: Week of February 22
He’s started calling me Mommy again.
Somewhere around age 8 or 9, without advertisement or explanation, he switched to Mom. I never commented or complained, but I noticed it. I noticed a lot of things: he started acting a little more independent, a little more “cool guy,” a little more grown.
He’s started calling me Mommy again.
It’s quick and effortless, it slides off his tongue. It’s not a manipulative “Mommy,” trying to sweet talk me into something — I don’t think he’s even aware that He’s doing it. But I’ve cherished each unexpected mention. There’s a surge of sweetness and closeness when he says it. He scoots in a little closer on the couch, he wants to chat a little longer when I put him to bed; holding onto boyhood and reaching for adolescence with equal grip and tension.
He’s started calling me Mommy again; I feel loved.
– – –
She’s been sharing with me more.
Somewhere along the way, the ease and breeziness of childhood blew away like a vapor and the stresses of teen life settled in. She’d wrestle through them on her own, trying to make sense of the senseless. Wondering if her struggles and fears were worth sharing; lies whispered in the dark becoming shouts in the light.
She’s been sharing with me more.
Her questions and her answers, her struggles and her triumphs. When she’s scared and anxious, when she’s excited and celebratory. She’s opening up and letting me peek inside her heart and mind, letting me explore the parts that are growing up as fast as she is; holding onto teen angst and reaching for young adulthood with equal grip and tension.
She’s been sharing with me; I feel loved.
– – –
The thing is, I know he loves me without “Mommy” rolling off his lips. I know how he feels because I know him — every facial expression, every body movement, every voice inflection. He’s mine and I know him — but to audibly hear his affection for me, to hear that little voice saying “Mommy” is how he tells me he loves me. I already know it, but to hear it makes my heart sing.
And I already know she loves me. I know how she feels because I know her — every request for a scratch on the back, every suggestion for a walk at the river, every funny story or update she shares about a friend. She’s mine and I know her — but to have her trust me with her heart and her soul, for her to open up and share the hard and scary, and the deep and questioning, that’s how she shows me she loves me. I already know it, but to share it makes my heart explode.
How much more, then, would it make God’s heart sing for us to tell and show God how much we love Him? Of course He knows it already. He knows us — every thought, every hair on our head, every sin that we’ve sinned. We’re His and He knows us — but to audibly tell Him of our affection for Him, to use our voice and call Him Abba, to share all the hard and scary and trust Him with it. That’s how we show God how we love Him; holding onto humanity and reaching for eternity with equal grip and tension.
We’ve spent this month exploring what it means to Be Loved and how to then love others out of that love. But we can’t neglect to also love God. To truly love Him out of a place of intimacy and trust, out of obedience and familiarity. To not just rely on, “God knows all so He knows how I feel,” but to love Him with specific intention:
“God I love you. I want you to hear it and I want to show it.
Here are my thoughts and fears. Here are my anxieties and worries.
Have your way in my life. Lead me how you see fit.
I’m going to be still and sit here with you in it until I know you better.”
Oh how those prayers make His heart swing wide open and celebrate over you.
“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings because of you,
and he will refresh your life with his love.”
(Zephaniah 3:17, Contemporary English Version)
QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK
MONDAY
We don’t need to prove our love to God — as we mentioned, He already knows it. Spinning our wheels continually striving and seeking perfection isn’t going prove anything to God except that we desperately need one of those Sabbath rests He talks about. But what He does long for, far beyond our works performed on an empty tank, is for us to fully embrace His love. To settle into the truth about who we are and Whose we are. To bring all our anxieties to Him, to pray without ceasing, to be still and know, to call him Father, not just GOD — those are the ways we can display intimately our undying affection for Him. He doesn’t need our affection, but oh how He loves it when we give it to Him. How can you display affection like this to Him today?
“We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.” (1 John 4:19, The Message)
TUESDAY
We talked yesterday about how God doesn’t need us to strive and seek perfection to prove our love to Him…but there is one thing He asks to show Him our love: obedience. It’s not a blind obedience like that of a cult following or of a master and servant, but rather the Greek word means: to attend carefully, to guard, to observe. So when Jesus says that if we really love Him we’ll obey His commands, what He’s saying is that our love for Him should compel us to carefully guard His commands. To observe them with reverence and preserve them. To hold firmly and not throw away. How does this insight change how you follow the commands of the Bible? Does it make you approach them with more intention and grace? Journal about one command of God’s that you have struggled obeying in the past, and how this insight might empower you to love Him more.
“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands.” (John 14:15, The Passion Translation)
WEDNESDAY
We’re told in the Old and New Testament that we are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. One of the definitions of the word soul in the Old Testament translated as breath — we should love God with every breath. Spend some time this morning thinking about the rhythm of your breathing, and every inhale and exhale. Then focus on inhaling truth and exhaling praise. That’s just one way to love God with every breath you take.
“You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.” (Mark 12:30, The Passion Translation)
THURSDAY
Loving God with our minds is a harder challenge to accept. Loving with our heart feels easy, and loving with every breath feels doable. But our minds? That requires very intentional, very focused work — and typically we fail at it miserably. We spend plenty of time thinking about culture, sports, politics, arts, family, friends, school, work and on and on. But how much time to we spend focused on the things of God? How often do we really thin of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)? Loving God with our minds means we intentionally choose which mindset we’re wearing this day. We refuse to entertain thoughts of bitterness, anger and malice, and instead think on what is good and holy. It’s not finding a “silver lining” or adopting the power of positive thinking — rather, it’s choosing this day whom you will serve — life or death?
“He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!” (Isaiah 26:3, Modern English Version)
FRIDAY
When we’re told to love God with all our might, or all our strength, it doesn’t actually mean mustering up our physicality to love God. The Hebrew word in Deuteronomy 6:5 for might actually refers to how much we should love God — with all our might means to love exceedingly much, in abundance and with force. Sort of like when a toddler squeezes with all their might when you hug them. The root word literally means a fire brand — an unused root that’s used for turning embers in a fire. So to love God with all our might actually means to keep the fire going — to love God exceedingly and in abundance. How does this change how you view loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Can you identify practical ways you can incorporate this into your daily life?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].” (Deuteronomy 6:5, Amplified)
WANT TO HEAR MORE?
Go back and listen to one of our earlier podcasts on what it means to be Loving God.