He Gave His Only Son

I know we have heard it a million times: God gave His only Son for us. But these words have hit home deeply in the last few months as Ben and I have faced the possibility of losing our only (foster) son. It does not matter that he is our foster son. We love him as our own, we have treated him in every way as our own, and we cannot imagine our life without him. We want to hear him say his first words, call us ‘mama’ and ‘dada,’ watch him take his first steps, make friends, attend VBS and AWANAs, play with his cousins, go to school, believe in Jesus as His Savior and Lord, learn to drive (yikes!), go to college, fall in love and get married and have kids. We want to be with him for all of that, we want to be a part of that. We want him to know how much we love him and how so many people have faithfully prayed for him.

I try (emphasize TRY) not to dwell on that horrible possibility of the day we may have to give him to his ‘real’ family. I cannot imagine letting him go. I cannot imagine not knowing what is going to happen to him and not to be able to do anything about it. I cannot imagine him, in whatever limited way he can, deal with feelings of abandonment and why he never sees the mommy and daddy he knows. My heart utterly breaks at the thought.

And yet, that is what God did…and more…for us! He purposely sent His only Son whom He loves more than I love Lee to live among fallible people, many of whom would reject Him and treat Him horribly. He sent Jesus out, knowing He would experience pain, suffering, sickness, rejection, and one of the worst deaths imaginable. He made this unthinkable sacrifice for you…and for me. Wow!!!

Does it take your breath away? Does it overwhelm you to know your God loves you that much? I hate to say it, but I know I have taken it for granted. I have seen John 3:16 plastered everywhere, memorized it, and repeated it without really letting it impact me at times.

I pray that today (and every day) we would truly grasp the depth of love that God demonstrated for us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. This should change the way we live. We are valuable to God – this gives us a sense of worth when the world or we try to convince ourselves otherwise. And others are also that valuable to Him – I am convicted that I do not share this precious love enough.

Having this kind of love should give us a firm foundation from which we can live, love, and minister to others. When fear or anxiety sets in, this love reminds us that God will not let us go and is right there with us. When times are tough, we know that God is for us. When people hurt or persecute us, we can run to God who is always on our side. When life gets so hard that we begin to wonder where God is, we can meditate on His love and know that He will never leave or forsake us. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32 (Read Romans 8:28-38 for more encouragement!)

--Judith Graham