The candle of love...a parents greatest strength

Today we light the candle of love. I think of the love between a parent and child and know there is no greater love than that. Isn’t it wonderful that we all have a Father who loves us like that too. Those of us who are parents know this type of love. The type where you would do just about anything for your child. You’d go without food or clothes for them, you’d fight til death for them and you’d even give up your life for them. And God has that love for all of us…so even you if you don’t have children, you can know this kind of love.

No matter what happens, we love our children. Even if they have fallen, made decisions we don’t agree with, hurt others or committed crimes… we still love them and always will. When our child is sick and throwing up all over us, we love them. When we hold that toddler who just wants to snuggle but who smells like the mess he has in his diaper…we love them. When they hit us, tell us they hate us, when they chose everyone but us to be with…we love them. Even the heart of a fallen parent or the heart of the parent of a fallen child is like that, so imagine how earnestly God wanted to love Adam and Eve though they sinned. Every parent has this kind of heart, like when you hold a baby in your arms and raise them, you whisper words of love for them as they fall asleep wish every luck for them. If you child has a fault, the heart of the parent aches to the utmost extent. But if this is settled, joy accompanies you. Even a fallen parent's heart is like this, so how else would the heart of God be?
When a child commits a crime and goes to jail, the parents would not say, "Thank God he’s there and not here," but instead they would shed tears, forgive him and love him. That is the love of the parents. That is why parents' love is noble. If the son was tried, found guilty and sentenced to die, and if the parents knew all this, they would cry. If there is any way to save their son, they would go to the ends of the earth to find it they would give up their lives for him. Since they have this everlasting love, the love of parents is noble. Is there, in the hearts of parents, the heart to forgive the son who is going to be hanged? If that parent’s love is true, do you think God's love would be no greater than that, or greater? We immediately admit that God's love is far greater. That is why it is a natural conclusion that God's love surpasses parents' love.
“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.”
Rosaleen Dickson
Parents invest everything for their children. They are the same as God on this. God does not invest for Himself. God does not exist for Himself, but for his children…for us. If God says He exists for Himself, that is not true love. When you invest everything in your children and say you want to be with them, then love, life and hope will be accomplished.