His Love is for ALL...

Recently, I was particularly struck by one woman's story of loss. I won't go into the details because the details are unnecessary for the purposes of sharing with each of you a vital message. What you must know is that judgment, condemnation, and a lack of support surrounding the circumstances of her infant son's death are at the heart of her story. My heart hurt deeply for her. Her circumstances. Her loss. She needed to know she was not alone. I needed to tell her that Mommies with Hope is a place of comfort, encouragement, and God's love.

Each of our stories are unique and different. Some of us experience the pain of early miscarriage while others of us bury a child who lived for days, weeks, months or years outside the womb. Regardless of when or how our babies die, each of us are left to do the grief work set that lies ahead. We may not know exactly what a fellow mommy has been through or precisely how she feels, but we do know it hurts. That's the stinging reality of pregnancy or infant loss. A reality that outsiders don't seem to understand.

I could elaborate on any one of these points I've posed above, but as I won't. I could get on a soapbox about judgment and condemnation, but I won't. I could go on and on about the lack of support, but I won't. Rather, there is but one key message I am prompted to share today...

His. Love. Is. For. ALL.

That's right, ladies. God's love is for each and every one of us. It's for me, for you, for this precious woman I speak of above, and for our babies - no matter how brief their lives were. His love is for ALL! In contemplating God's love, my heart struggles to grasp a definition. I just know it. He has shown His love to me in countless ways and I am blessed. Still, my fingertips fight to type words worthy of conveying its significance. Here goes my feeble attempt...

God's love is...

Amazing. Astounding. Awesome. Beyond comprehension. Brings joy. Comforting. Consoling. Compassionate. Deliverance. Deep and Wide. Death-defying. Enlightening. Endless. Fantastic. Fabulous. Far-reaching. Great. Grand. Humbling. Indescribable. Immeasurable. Incredible. JESUS. Justice. Knowing. Knocking on the door to our hearts. Lavished upon us. Magnificent. Mind-blowing. More than enough. Miraculous. Never failing. Never ending. Near. Out of this world. Ongoing. Over all. Powerful. Perfect. Pleasing. Quaking. Quenching. Remarkable. Relational. Restorative. Sufficient. Sacred. Sacrificial. Tremendous. Terrific. Unfathomable. Unbelievable. Unlike any earthly love. Unconditional. Undeserved. Vital. Vibrant. Wonderful. Wowing. eXtraordinary. Yours. Zealous.

More than anything, God's love is for ALL the world, proven true by the sacrifice of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ! John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life." That's you, my friend. That's me too, praise God!

As "Mommies," we are called to love. Scripture tells us, "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). Let us choose love. First, to accept God's love into our hearts by surrendering to the sacrificial work of His Son. Next, to purposefully love others as Jesus commands in Mark 12:30-32...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"... "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these.

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Please share what God's love means to you in the comments below. I would love to hear your testimonies of His love!