Lesssons from Parker Andrew

My week with Parker and his parents reminded me of an oft forgotten bit of spiritual wisdom: unconditional love. Our love for Parker feels boundless and endless. It leads me to thinking about God's love for us. God's love is magnified by infinity compared to my limited human love. It's unfathomable to imagine. Growing up is often the process of learning the limits of human love; realizing my shortcomings in loving others as well as the limits of those who love me. It's good to be reminded from time to time of the love that is ours for the taking from the God who is Perfect Love. And what better reminder than a baby, fresh from heaven.

This quote from Henri Nouwen talks about God's love and the difficulty in accepting it as a free gift. I refer to it often! "The great temptation is to use our many failures to convince ourselves that we are really not worth being loved. We must resist that temptation. The many failures in our lives open up that place in us where we have nothing to brag about but everything to be loved for. It is becoming a child again, a child who is loved simply for being, simply for reaching out. This is the way to spiritual maturity-to receive love as a pure and free gift."

Thank you, Parker Andrew!