Lavished Love

During my devotions earlier this month I was impressed to realize the power of perspective . . . more specifically the perspective that God delights in lavishing us with His love.  I was reading Mark 8 concerning the feeding of the four thousand.  It is interesting to me that just after this miracle, the disciples completely forgot Who they were with.  They had entered a ship and Jesus was warning them about the “leaven” of the Pharisees, having just encountered their wishes for a sign from heaven.  The disciples had just realized they had no food on board and they assumed immediately that Jesus was confronting them about their lack of thoughtfulness.  Jesus instead asks them why they did not understand . . . did they not see what had happened? . . . did they not remember what had happened?  He then reminds them of the 5,000 being fed and just recently the 4,000 being fed.  Did they not believe He could provide for their meager appetites?  Jesus was not concerned about their human frailty of being unprepared.  In the same chapter Jesus heals a blind man, but instead of leaving him only partially with sight, He continues to heal his sight completely.  Sometimes I get the mindset that if I ask for something I either should have “known better” or that I cannot expect to be blessed to the extent that I desire.  The truth is, I do not believe that my God is truly a God who loves to lavish His children with blessings.

This truth became more evident as Tim and I faced a bit of a scare in my pregnancy.  I could have had the wrong perspective as we rushed to the hospital and tests were made to determine the cause.  Though I had many fears, I was overwhelmed as well with the love lavished upon me both by God and by my Tim.  The day I read Mark 8, it hit me full force.  There were so many questions:  Why didn’t something worse happen?  Why do some people suffer while others are blessed?  Why not ask, why me?  That’s when the realization of perspective came into place.  I could have had the perspective that night of “why me?”  Instead I was overwhelmed with the fact that Tim got up in the middle of the night, was concerned enough to take me to the hospital, and did not hesitate to pray for the right attitude concerning God’s will for us that night.  I was overwhelmed with the kindness showed to us as we went in to get the ultrasound and the fact that the young lady there had gone through a similar situation and could help us know what to expect.  I was amazed at the response of our church family when they found out what had happened and that I would be on bed rest for some time, even missing the trip to camp with my Tim.  They were ready with meals, helping hands, and loving hearts.  My heart was filled with praise to the LORD for having desired to bless us in so many ways!

After reading Mark 8, I turned back to a page in my devotional journal where I had jotted down a stanza from a hymn we had sung in church weeks ago.  It was from the hymn Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting:

Oh how great Thy loving kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness

Lavished all on me.