Our four-year-old granddaughter claimed her Grampa immediately, as usual, and didn't want him to be out of her sight the two days we were there. The second morning, while my husband was out of the room, I gently teased our granddaughter about how much she liked her grandfather.
With eyes wide and a soft smile on her face, the little darling sighed and said, "I'm in love with my Grampa!"
And why wouldn't she be? Her Grampa adores her (as he does all our grandkids), loves to spend time with her, even doing silly things because it makes her happy. And his arms are always ready to hold her close to his heart.
Later in the week after we'd returned home, I was reminded of that sweet comment when I suffered an intense disappointment and was attacked with old feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. As a child I'd always felt like an outsider, not really accepted and loved by my dad, and this incident made me realize that there is still a lot of that insecure little girl inside me.
Then the Holy Spirit reminded me that I have a Father who adores me even more than my husband adores our grandchildren. He longs to spend time with me, loves to comminicate his love and care, and He never turns his back on me even when I deserve it. His love is never-ending, and His mercies are new every morning (Jeremiah 3:22-23).
As I thought of the many times God has proven His love for me, my tears of disappointment turned to tears of thankfulness. People here on earth will hurt us, purposely or inadventently, but our value is not determined by their feelings or actions. We have a Father whose love is greater than anything this world can throw at us.
In His eyes, I am His beloved daughter, worth even the ultimate sacrifice - His Son.. I cannot help but lift my hands, sigh, and say, "Oh Lord my God, I'm in love with You!"