Reflection authored by Barb Bennett, Parishioner and Spiritual Director
The author focused on John 3:16 For God so loved the world. He shared the story of his son’s birth and how incredible it was to know God’s love through that experience. As a parent and grandparent I could relate to the amazement of bringing a child into the world and recognizing the miracle that you hold in your arms.
I could go in so many different directions as I pondered God’s love and mercy, but I will continue his theme of birth. How easy it is to love that sweet infant, but how challenging it can be to love them through the terrible twos and beyond. There are no guarantees for us as parents. All of our littles don’t turn out perfectly formed and responsible adults and yet, we too, continue to love them. Sometimes we think if we love them more or harder we will all get past the disappointments and difficulties.
What an amazing God we have that teaches us how to love. That allows us to exercise our free will and loves us through our mistakes, our sinfulness, our turning away from that greatest of gifts. God loves us and leaves us free to choose. Choose God. Choose Life. Can we do any less for our children, give them the freedom to choose, to find their way?
Stories of birth always remind me of the day my first Granddaughter was born. I had just lost my job and was warned of the difficulty I might experience on the first day of unemployment. It turned out to be a miraculous day. I held that sweet baby in my arms and fell deeply in love. The kind of love that knew I would love her forever, but even more I was blown away by the love I felt from a God who blessed me with the greatest gift I could receive on that first day of unemployment. I was exactly where I was meant to be on that specific day. I too was loved.
I am not a Divine parent or Grandparent. I am oh so human, but through all the difficulties of our lives I choose God and I choose Life and the greatest grace of all is that God keeps choosing me too.