Still Loved by God and Dad

Read: Ephesians 2:4-7

Harvey threw a baseball toward his dad. “What if I do all this practicing and I still don’t make the team?”

Dad grinned. “I’ll still love you.”

Harvey sighed. “You’ll always love me. You say that all the time.”

“God will always love you too.” Dad lifted his arm. “Get ready to swing.”

The ball came toward Harvey. He swung hard, but his bat didn’t connect with the ball.

“This is what I mean.” Harvey went to get the ball so he could try again. “What if I somehow make the team and then I strike out every time I’m up? My teammates are going to hate me.”

“If we keep practicing, I don’t think that will happen,” Dad said. “But even if it does, I will still love you, and God will still love you too.”

Harvey threw the ball back to his dad. Dad held on to it as he looked over at him. “God and I will still love you, Harvey, but how will you feel about yourself? Do you feel like you have to do well to be deserving of love? What’s going through your head, bud?”

Harvey looked down at the ground. “Ever since Mom left, I find it hard to believe that anyone really loves me. Even you and God. Sometimes I don’t like myself too much either.”

He heard footsteps and knew his dad was coming over to him, but he was surprised when Dad knelt on the ground in front of him. “Bud?” His dad looked up into his eyes. “You are so worthy of love. You can’t imagine how much I care about you and how much God loves you. He sent Jesus to die for you so you could be His child! Your mom leaving had nothing to do with you or anything you have or haven’t done.”

“But…a mom shouldn’t leave her kid.” Harvey blinked his eyes hard.

“No, she shouldn’t.” Dad dropped the baseball and wrapped his arms around Harvey. “But what she did doesn’t change your value in my eyes or God’s eyes, and it shouldn’t change how you think about yourself either. God will always love you, and I will too.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Do you let what others think about you affect how you see yourself? You have great value in God’s eyes, and nothing will ever change how He feels about you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so you could belong to Him forever. He cares about you so much and will never, ever leave you. When others let you down, know that He is with you and that you are loved.

Today's Key Verse: As the Father loved Me [Jesus], I also have loved you; abide in My love. John 15:9 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: You are very loved