Salvation and Parenthood

Salvation has always been a mystery to me.  Not all of it, mind you.  I’ve long stood in awe of the poignancy of God’s provision for us.  I’ve explored the options in the avenue of my mind and can only see one way for redemption to work out: for God to sacrifice some part of himself to satisfy the wrath that his perfect holiness and justice demand.  Bt the ‘why’ part of salvation has always been a black box to me.  I can see it from the outside; rotate it around and see that it works.  But exactly why it works has been beyond my comprehension.  I can see man’s fallen-nes and God’s holiness.  I can see God’s provision in the sacrifice of Jesus.  But as I look at what God has to gain from this whole deal, I’ve been stumped.  It’s always seemed like He has a lot to lose and nothing to gain; like he sacrificed with no end or reward.

Today all of that changed.  As I sat in church and ached to hold my baby son in my arms, I finally understood.  Sometimes I hold him and he’ll look around.  In those moments, the thing I want most in the world is for him to pay attention to me.  But I understand when he doesn’t, because that’s the same way I treat God.  He holds me and provides for me, but I don’t always take time to look in his face.

We were singing a song that has the line, “You tore the veil; you made a way,” when it hit me.  God’s provision wasn’t a cold, austere one.  God was on a rescue mission; he was desperate.  He would do anything to reach out and grab his children, whom he loves so much more than I can love my own.  In fact, he DID do anything and everything when he sacrificed his own life in a desperate, half-failing 11th hour run at salvation.  And he did it all to see the look on my face.  You know the look I mean: the one that a baby has when he looks into his daddy’s face with utter ecstatic joy simply because they have a relationship.  I think I’d do about anything for that look.  God’s love isn’t a mystery to me anymore.  Now it’s real and it’s precious.  I need to make sure to take time to look into my heavenly daddy’s face for the simple joy that it will bring him.

3 thoughts on “Salvation and Parenthood”

  1. You “painted” a beautiful “word picture”, Andrew….and I loved it.!!!!! Hugs….Gmanina

  2. Andrew, I thoroughly enjoyed your writing! I understand that you now understand about a father’s love or a mother’s love, just as I understood when I looked into your precious little face when you were a baby and you looked back at me, that is how God feels about us. Yet, I am ever humbled at why God would want to look at me, still a sinner, saved, yet still a sinner. That is bigger than I can understand. Love, Mom Shinn

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