"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1.

God’s love for His children is so overwhelming. In listening to a message/podcast, this verse was discussed in great detail. The speaker challenged us to think about how great the Father’s love is for us. Being called His child – His daughter is such a powerful concept.


Thinking more about it and about how He made me and wired me just amazes me even more. If I stop and think about the overabundance of blessings in my life, I can’t help but be driven to my knees and to a place of profound gratitude.

A year ago this weekend I prayed for Him to reveal my purpose and His plan for me. He responded immediately, whispering into my soul with Jeremiah 29:11 and telling me to help Him write His story. Really? Me? Oh yes. He has provided the guidance, the words and the mechanism to draw others to Him. I am humbled and grateful that He chose to give me the gifts He did and is using them to touch lives. Honestly, what He’s done in mine and my family’s life the past year has been beyond our wildest dreams.

And as I sit here and ponder the past year, what lies ahead and what He has in store for the future, I’m feeling pretty lavished on – as the verse says. Oh, we’ve had trials and challenges, but the underlying current is an abundance of grace and the peace of knowing that nothing we go through is without purpose or His presence right in the middle of it. We can and do lean on Him for our strength and comfort and He’s always there.

Our gratitude tends to be in the visible and immediate – when a door opens, an opportunity lands in our laps, we meet the right person and the right time or something nothing short of a miracle just “happens.” But more than the opened doors and opportunities, people and places He’s intersected my life with is the redemptive power of His love. That is a love that is beyond comprehension or repayment. That He loves me enough to call me His is really lavishing on me more than enough. Everything else is His grace and my humble gratitude.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1John 4:12

Interestingly, I am writing this on 4/12/10, on flight 412 from LAX to DEN. I just thought it was kind of an amazing thing how God uses cues to help clue me in to what He’s working on in me. Just as I was about to board this flight, I realized the number and date irony. Not to mention, it also happens to be my birthday. Okay, enough with the oddities.


After I boarded the plane, I thought perhaps God was using this no-such-thing as-a-coincidence moment to point out something to me. So, I started thumbing through the Scriptures, reading every 4:12 I found. When I reached 1John, I found that I had previously highlighted this verse and it collided in my heart with another verse I was reading earlier today, Romans 12:2, which says “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

When I was reading the verse in Romans today, it was part of a Bible study and it challenged us to take a look inside ourselves and start to peel off the layers we build up to cover up the ties that bind us and keep us from a full and intimate relationship with God. It was not an easy thing to begin doing. In fact, it was pretty uncomfortable to be truthful. We all have past hurts, regrets, disappointments and struggles that can prevent us from fully living the life God intends for us. Identifying them and trusting that God can free us from those chains are important steps. As I said, I’m peeling off layers, praying I’ll get to a place where I can be totally free in Him. What’s wonderful is that even when I know I’ve still got a long way to go, I can look back and see how far I’ve come, and rejoice!

After starting to work on that self-examination earlier in the day, the word transformed really began to stand out in my heart. God is transforming me and it is an incredible process. And then, there was the flight number/date/birthday Scripture journey. As I read through 1John 4:12 several time, I began to settle in on the “love” statements in it. Love is a feeling, an action, a decision and, with God, an EVENT! One small word can mean so very much. Loving one another takes on the decision and feeling piece – I can choose love and I feel great emotions when I love. Loving others opens up my heart to tap into why they are the way they are. I can relate to them on another level and begin to look at them with eyes that perhaps, ever-so-slightly mirror those of Jesus. When that is our choice, and if we’ve chosen the gift of saving grace, God is living in us, gently shaping and guiding our will to be His. That is when the action happens, transformation begins and, from there, the cycle perpetuates.

The more I chose love, the more transformed to be like Jesus I can become. And that just continues as I mature in my faith journey. What a beautiful gift that is. That is just about the best birthday present I could ask for. Jesus, thank you for your Word. Thank you for leading us to places that help us to seek your will and better know your heart as you take up residence in us and change us to be more like you.