Who?

My friend, Linda, and I meet every so often and usually mention our kids at some point.  She has two sons, one of whom keeps in contact fairly frequently, the other is like the Phantom.  When I asked about him (by name) the other day, her response was, “Who?”, albeit with a twinkle in her eye.  Whether you live near or far, moms always love to hear from their offspring once in awhile.  Just to be assured they are ok. Being a mom doesn’t stop just because the “child” becomes an adult.  What’s interesting about that is that – in spite of the communication being vastly different on the part of the sons (in this case), their mom feels the same love toward each one.  Nothing can ever change that.  This is why the message I got was so significant both to me and for me.

After retiring from many years of teaching, Christmas arrived and kept the focus off the change.  But, on returning from a family visit, suddenly there was nothing to do.  I prayed and began asking God to show me my purpose.  Why am I here?  Surely there must be some reason.  Something else for me to do.  His answer didn’t come as my friend’s facetious retort:  “Who?” as if He had forgotten me.  Instead, the answer was, “I don’t love you for what you DO.  I love you for who you ARE.”  What a wonderful reminder.  As a mom, I could understand that fully;  yet, as a child of God, I had forgotten.

What a blessing to know that God loves us even on our bad days.  Even when we forget to check in and acknowledge Him.  Even when we fail at a task or don’t do anything at all.

Would my friend prefer to hear from her son?  You bet!  But, does she love him any less, if he drops the ball?  Of course not!  We are a society which places much emphasis on wealth, prestige, success (by our definition).  A person is identified by the business he owns or the job he does.  But, guess what?  None of that changes who the person is – with or without that job or title.  The world places value on what it sees.  God places value on what He knows is of REAL significance:  the inner person.

“Who?”  He knows the answer to that better than anyone – and He still loves us, His children.

“Love never fails…”   (1 Corinthians 13:8)