God wants to love us even more than he wants us to like him.

Consider that for a moment…

I’ve known some really good fathers and mothers. I’ve known some rebellious sons and daughters. I think I’ve always had this notion that the more a parent loves their children unconditionally, the more the children will like their parents.

I’m not a parent, but I think in my mind’s eye I’ve always assumed that if I had children, they would love and like me to the degree my love was selfless and unconditional. If I were to truly lay down my own desires in order to bless them and enrich them, then they would certainly see that and we’d be bound to have a great relationship.

But what if my child desired something unhealthy? Something that in the end would be destructive. What if I knew they’d resent me if I withheld their desire from them? What if I knew they’d resent me for a long time? Possibly even forever?

I’d have a tough choice to make. Would my desire to love them be greater than my desire for them to like me?

……….

I assume that God is constantly facing this “dilemma”. Only that it is not a dilemma for him. God is love. He will choose to love us over having us like him every time. Constantly. Incessantly. Never-endingly. His love is steadfast. It will prevail. It will not be manipulated or coerced. He would rather die a horrible death and be destroyed himself rather than to let us slip into destruction.

And what about that day when the child finally sees it? When the child realizes that he/she was loved by the father, loved even at the greatest of expenses…

Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!

I feel prompted to allow and invite God to love me, even in times where I’d rather just like him.