I Am Your Father, And I Love You Even As I Love My Son
April 11
John 17:23 “I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
As a father of three adult children, my love for them has not changed over the years. I loved them when they were young children, adolescents, and even during the sometimes difficult teenage years. No matter their age or what stage they were in life, I loved them. There were certainly times of frustration and challenges as they grew up, but that did not change my love for them. They did things, at times, that required discipline and correction, but that did not change my love for them. Whether they needed correction for failing to meet the expectations and rules, or they required no discipline, my love for them was constant. It did not change based on their behavior. I am their father, and as a father, I love my children.
However, there were times when my children believed I loved one of them more than the other two. Usually this happened when they needed correction or discipline, and their default thing to think (or say) was that I loved them less. “How come you love my brother more than me?” or “You’re doing this to me and not my sister because you love her more” were sometimes heard when one of my children didn’t get what they wanted or they were in trouble with me. While it was absolutely not true, they often chose to believe it for a little while (usually the length of the consequence). It didn’t matter that I told them I loved all of them the same. It didn’t matter that I said nothing would make me love them less - or more - than I did at that moment. Regardless, I tried giving them the consistent and constant message that I loved them all the same and nothing would change my love for them. Even in my imperfect and flawed love, I loved them all the same.
God says, “I love you even as I love My Son” is profound and a statement I doubted and questioned for many years. How could God love me in my addiction? How could God love me when I kept going back countless times to images and videos? How could God love me when I created so much pain and chaos in my life and the lives of those I loved? How could God love me when I didn’t love myself? How could God love me when my life was full of sin? How could God love me at all much less as He loved His Son? Certainly there were people living better, not addicted to pornography, and with way less sin in their lives who God loved more than me. However, God’s relentless and persistent love, grace, and forgiveness found their way into my life, and I am grateful for and humbled by His love that has changed me. God loves me with the same love He has for His Son. The God who said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17) and “This is my Son, whom I love with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) is the same God who loves me as He does His Son. The depth of God’s love for His Son, Jesus, is evident in the scriptures. This is the kind of love by which I am loved. This kind of love says God is pleased with me. This kind of love says, “you are mine and I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). What love the Father lavishes on me! What a deep and never-changing love!