March 17

My mother stepped into Heaven about ten-and-a-half years ago. Our pastor had asked her grandchildren to write something about their Nana that they loved. None of them consulted with the other, but there were marked similarities in what they each wrote. The first theme we noticed was about my mom’s many driving exploits while they were in the car. Most of those stories my sister and I had never heard. There were some hilarious situations they found themselves in while driving with Nana.

We determined that my mother, who was a very good driver, spent too much time paying attention to her grandchildren while driving and not enough to the road, or road signs. We apologize to the soda machine she backed into in New York, and to all the people she gave heart attacks to while going the wrong way on a one-way street in Philadelphia.

The second theme each grandchild wrote about was how much their Nana loved them. They each wrote as if they were the “favorite” grandchild. Of course, my mother loved them all equally, but in their memories, they were sure they were the favorite. Let me ask you a simple question … don’t you feel that way with God? I do. I feel like God loves me more than anyone else. If He did not, why would He not judge me for all the times I have failed Him?

David wrote a verse that touches my heart in Psalm 17. “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 17:8). The phrase, “the apple of the eye” refers to the same thing we I was talking about with the relationship between my mother and her grandchildren. Of course, I realize that God loves us all with the same intensity. My mother loved each of her grandchildren with all the love she had to offer. They understood that love, as though they were the only one in all the world that she loved.

What a great thought it is to think about how much God loves us! Not only does He love us with all the love He ever could, but He offers us a hiding place in the shadow of His wings. We are never far from the protection and care of this God Who loves us with incredible intensity! He proved this when He offered His one and only Son to die in our place! If He sacrificed that deeply for our sin, He surely wants to have an intimate, ongoing relationship with each one who places their trust in Him. In a day when love seems to be a thing of the past, we believers ought to rejoice that we are the “apple of the eye” of God! Smile … God loves you!

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