Jealous love!

Fierce love. Jealous love. Protective love. Give up my life, my resources, all that I possess, love. Have you felt it? Do you have kids, nieces, grand-kids, a significant other, a spouse? Does anything ignite your passion for those you love like the threat of harm, impending danger or sickness? Then you know what I am talking about.

I didn’t have a great relationship with my dad. He was emotionally absent for my childhood, then he died when I was a young adult and before I could see clearly enough to know that he was a broken man. His choice to numb his pain with alcohol kept him locked in a prison of isolation. There was no room for me. I do recall though, one conversation with my dad that still means the world to me. I was in my 20’s, with young kids and dad was attending AA meetings, for the 1^st time in his life. It didn’t last long, but during that time, we had our first honest, adult, conversation. He said this to me, “Terri, you’ve never asked me for much, but I want you to know, everything I have is yours.” It wasn’t until years later that I was able to really understand the heart from which he spoke. In fact, the Lord had to show me. Even though I felt deprived of my father’s love, affection and attention…his heart toward me was a father’s heart. The prison he lived in kept caused him to make choices that wounded me, but his heart toward me was good and not evil. I experienced much comfort when I was able to see this part of my dad as separate from his actions and choices.

I laid awake the other night, the virus that I’ve had keeps waking me up with a headache. But it’s a good time to pray. Frankly, I was asking the Lord where He was, and asking to sense His presence. Then my mind was whisked off to my grand-daughters…3 precious little ones! As I began to pray for them, I was overcome with fierce love; jealous love; protective love! Give up my life, my resources, all that I possess, love! Eventually I wandered back to just asking for His presence, when all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. Everything I just experienced for my grand-daughters, and the passion with which it came upon me, was exactly how He feels toward each of His kids. I tear up when I think of it. That was His presence…in me! We’ve all experienced it. Such intense love our heart wants to explode. When that happens we’re touching the hem of His garment! We are tapping into perfect, pure, and unadulterated love. The love that is God! The perfect love He has for each one of us! To quote my earthly father, “it’s a thing of beauty.” And to quote my heavenly Father:

Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you. Jer. 31:3

...for he that touches you, touches the apple of my eye  Zech. 2:8

How He Loves Us (click to listen to song)