Drawn

Drawn

I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

“ALL REBELLION is ultimately rebellion against God.”

The words cut through my thoughts as I sat back from cleaning the tub to listen to the wise counsel spoken by a parenting expert on a podcast I frequently turned on while cleaning.

I immediately thought of the child who had been lying to my husband and me as of late. It’s a sickening feeling, to know your child is not being honest with you. And as I continued to listen, the expert reminded the listeners—and me—that although my child’s disobedience can feel very personal, I cannot take it personally. That ultimately, all of us have rebelled against God in some way, at some point in our lives.

The truth of his words landed on my battered heart and began to give me hope in addressing my child’s rebellious heart—because haven’t I, too, rebelled against God’s plan? And don’t I still at times, if I’m very honest?

Yet God continues to draw me to himself. And I need to approach my child with a heart of understanding my own propensity to err, even as I work to help them correct theirs, making sure to not be offended personally by their rebellious behavior. Humble correction—that is my goal.

We can all look back over our lives and see times where we intentionally, or even unintentionally, rebelled against God. It happens more often than we’d care to admit. Our anger, frustration, unanswered questions, fear, or doubt can lead us down a path of rebellion if we allow it to. And yet, through it all, we can also see instances where God’s love drew us back to himself. God’s love is everlasting, never giving up on us, even in our rebellion. How comforting to know that no matter what we’ve done, God continues to draw us back to himself and into a right relationship with him.

Lord, how awesome you are that you love us unconditionally. Time and time again you draw us back to yourself, even as we rebel against you. Thank you for your everlasting love. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Spend some time thinking of all the instances where God has drawn you and then thank him for it.