Unconditional Love

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

I remember the first time my mind grasped the concept of unconditional love. The day was September 14, 1991, the day my oldest daughter was born. Barely a minute old, I remember the nurse asking me if I wanted to hold her.

Gripped with fear, I took my baby girl’s tiny life into my arms, and held her close to me. Immediately all my fears left, and were replaced with an overwhelming sense of love.

As a child, I never knew unconditional love. For years, I suffered emotional and sometimes physical abuse at the hands of my father. Now standing with my first born child in my arms, I could not imagine what this little girl could possibly do to keep me from loving her.

As the nurse took her from me, I looked at the face of the most beautiful child I had ever seen. It was then that a thought occurred to me. If I as a fractured, flawed human being was capable of loving my child with an unconditional love, how much more can the God of Heaven, whose love is perfect, love me?

Growing up at the hands of an abusive earthly father has made it difficult for me to grasp the unconditional love of my Heavenly Father. However, I have come to learn that when God says His grace for me is sufficient, it means that His love for me is perfect.

In my humanity, both as a child of God and as a parent, I will make mistakes. I will do things this will dishonor my Father in Heaven. Thankfully, His love for me is not based on what I do. It is based on the fact that the nature and character of God is perfected love capable of seeing past my flaws, and into my broken heart.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)