A Three-Foot Tornado

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head.

This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!

Psalms 139: 1-6 (TLB)

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him, May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. Ephesians 3: 17-18 (TLB)

Glenn Way lives in Tennessee. "He's a three-foot-tall tornado." Glenn seems to say that every time their two-year-old grandson comes over. He grabs things out of drawers, pulls things off of shelves, and throws almost everything he touches. The house is a wreck after each visit. But a broken trinket and a messy house are a small price to pay for the sheer joy of having this bundle of love around. Glenn wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Glenn can't help but think that's how God loves him - despite all the times he has done things he knows God would not be pleased with. After all the times he has failed to listen to God, and even after he has missed opportunities to show love to others, God still draws him close and tells him how much he is loved. That love is unconditional. As hard as it is for Glenn to understand or believe, he knows God wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. If it's true for Glenn, then it's certainly true for all God's children, including you and me.

Prayer: Father God, we know that the best way to show our love for you is to love others. Help us see people as you see them and to show them the same compassion, love, and mercy that you pour upon us daily, in Jesus' name. Amen.