I have this tattoo on my wrist. It’s a very vague representation of my “life verse”.
Z317 <><
Some folks have asked, so here is my story.
Maybe it’s you as a parent, or maybe you had a parent like this, but what mommy or daddy doesn't love, and our hearts melt when our young children come to hug us for no reason. Maybe they tell us they really love us, “just because”. What mommy or daddy doesn't get mushy when our kids crawl into our laps for a snuggle and say we're “the best mommy and daddy in the whole world!”
And when they are older, how those warm fuzzies fill us when they come to us and say…”I could really use your advice”. Or those rare times as teens when they still sit close to us on the couch on movie night.
How much anguish are we in, how much concern do we have for them , what burden we carry...how our hearts hurt when they come to us and cling to us as they cry because they had their hearts broken or they failed at something very important to them.
What about all the times they accomplish something they worked really hard for...and then can't WAIT to tell us about it! Not just anyone, us! They feel safe with us, they feel loved by us. If you were to ask any of my kids, they would tell you with certainty that I am their number one fan!! I am their biggest cheerleader. Nobody on this earth could be more proud, or love them more than I do. No matter what.
Stop reading for a second, and think about those moments, the ones where we really feel and believe our children love us, trust us, need us, appreciate us and admire us... when all our hard work and unconditional love has come to fruition. When our love is able to quiet their fears.
Guess what?
That is exactly how God feels about YOU!
Friends, He delights!!! In us. We forget (often) that He is our Daddy. Our perfect parent. Our Abba. He wants us to come to Him, when we are broken, confused, angry, uncertain, failing and hurt. He wants us to say “I need some advice,” He wants to be the shoulder we need to cry on.
And when we are joyful and thankful...He rejoices with us, and over us ... the way we do our very own children.
He will never deny us His affection!
His heart melts on an even grander scale than ours when we draw close to Him and He BELIEVES that we love Him, trust Him, need Him, appreciate Him and admire Him.
Never be afraid to approach the Throne of Grace with confidence with all of your burdens and your joys. Abba's waiting with open arms, a smile of warmth and a heart that takes great delight. He rejoices over us, like any good- proud mom or dad, of course when we accomplish something amazing, BUT even when we don't!! Much like with our own children when we are the first ones to say, “it’s okay, get back up, you'll do better next time! And I'm always here for you. “
My tattoo is a visual reminder, that no matter what. Jesus is my number one fan! He’s cheering for me, and He’s always there. Mighty enough to handle any pain or questions I have, and loving me unconditionally.
