Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bigger Than a Stack of Elephants


Warm golden rays of early morning sunshine squeezed through the cracks of the window blinds. Slowly turning my head, I opened my eyes to meet the sleepy gaze of my daughter. After a monster invaded her sweet dream about flying with Tinkerbell© just a few hours earlier, she sought solace in between her daddy and me.


In a raspy whisper she began her usual morning round of questions.

“Mommy, have you ever seen an elephant that was so big she was bigger than God?”


“Nope. That would be impossible. Nothing and no one is bigger than God.”


She scrunched her nose in a manner reminiscent of a picture taken of me thirty-years ago. She was thinking…hard.


“What about a stack of really big giant elephants that went all the way to outer space?”


“Nope. Even they wouldn’t be bigger than God.”


“I just don’t understand how He can be so big,” she exclaimed and then scampered off to brush her teeth.

Like Pumpkindoodle, I cannot wrap my mind around the unquantifiable vastness of our God. He is without limitations…perfect…holy…just…unfathomable. Living everyday with a mind puny in comparison to His, I often forget the magnitude of being under the care of the Almighty.


I worry. I fret. I snip and snap out of fear and frustration. I embrace loneliness. I invite anger. I sometimes even blame others for their inability to fix me. In short, I apply human perimeters to God’s divine power by too often focusing on the irrelevant. Do I not remember that He is the great I Am? Or do I not fully believe how much He loves me?


My daughter grapples to understand the physicality of God’s bigness. My brain let go of that struggle about the same time I stopped playing with dolls. Instead it is the prodigious portion of His love that I strive to understand. A love that I know I do not deserve, but is lavished upon me anyway.


I don’t like to speak for God…but in my heart I feel as if He is explaining His love to me with words like these.

Angela, your life will not go exactly as you want it to because I love you too much for that to happen…but your life…your life is in my hands. These hands that shaped the land upon which you live have brought you into being. You are mine. You have an eternal home. Trust me. All the junk in your life will one day be made beautiful. Allow yourself to delight in my love for you…after all, it is much bigger than you are my dear and it can fill you to overflowing.


Those words are pretty much my paraphrase of what God has spoken in His word and to my heart. They are meant for me and for you.


It also helps me to think of it in this overly simplistic way.


Sometimes I feel my heart will burst because the love I hold for my children cannot fit inside a small space. And let me tell you something…if I was omnipotent and omniscient making me the most powerful being ever to exist…my kids wouldn’t ever need to worry about a single thing.


Well, my heavenly father…He loves me even more than I love my kids. And, that stuff about being omnipotent and omniscient…yep, He’s got that covered. My job is to remember that.


Psalm 119: 73-76 NIV - Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.





37 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the thoughts and questions of children about God!

Tracy said...

God's love is SO amazing - how wonderful to see it all again through our children's eyes. blessings.

Denise said...

Such a beautiful post sweetie.

Unknown said...

Thank you for another great piece.

Joy Junktion said...

You always have a way of making the everyday ordinary ~ extraordinary!

How wonderful to see God through our children.

LeeBird3 said...

"I apply human perimeters to God’s divine power by too often focusing on the irrelevant. Do I not remember that He is the great I Am? Or do I not fully believe how much He loves me?"

So well said...why do we DO THAT?!

I love how you compared/contrasted your intense love for your kids to God's love....my mom-of-three-blondie-boys heart can wrap that around my weary head. ;) Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such an encourageing comment. Great way for me to start my morning. Lee

Heather of the EO said...

Beautiful post! I forget all too often to fall on Him, rather than my habits of anxiety and anger.
These words were just what I needed today,
Heather

Dionna said...

You have a great blog. I really enjoyed finding it today and will be back. :)

ShelliGib said...

Nice post! Love the elephant question!

Wendi@EveryDayMiracles said...

Beautiful! Sometimes I feel like my smile will stretch off my face it is so big and real when I contemplate God's big love for us. :)

Audrey said...

Trying to put God in a human-sized box. How often I have done that. Thinking that God can't, or won't, show up in this or that particular situation. Thanks for the reminder to delight in Him and simply trust. I needed that today.

Suzanne said...

thanks for leaving a comment on my blog.

What a wonderful post!

bp said...

Our children teach us and remind us of so much about God. It always amazes me to think how much I love my son and how God loves him and me so much more!

Gretchen said...

"I apply human perimeters to God’s divine power by too often focusing on the irrelevant."

I'll just go to the end of the line on this one...

Beautifully written--the images of Pumpkindoodle are darling.

{darlene} said...

" Instead it is the prodigious portion of His love that I strive to understand. A love that I know I do not deserve, but is lavished upon me anyway."

This is so good. It IS so hard for us to understand...

Darlene

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. I'm learning the stretching of the heart that comes with beginning to realize the scale of his love for us. Amazing. Staggering.

Genny said...

This was beautiful, Angela. I love the words you hear.

Anne Elizabeth said...

This was such a beautiful post! I really love the words that God spoke to you.

Patricia said...

This was such a beautiful post. I have been too busy to blog today, but I needed a little refreshing after running, running, trying to make everyone happy. (Never mind the nail I stepped on...then the tetanus shot...in the middle of an already full day.)

Thank you...it feels like the cool mist just outside the waterfall for me right now. I've printed your words from God...I'm putting it in my prayer journal. You'll understand when I substitute my name for yours...

What a blessing you've been to me this day.

Mindy said...

A wonderful post, as usual. I think we all tend to forget that God transcends everything in our tiny humanity. But in those moments when we can remember that, it is so liberating.

Julie said...

Angela, I LOVE this. I too wrote about His covering today.

Thanks once again for sharing your heart...and what you wrote about God's words to you...those were HIS beautiful words.... I know it.

Love,
Julie

Anonymous said...

Thank you for such an amazing post. xo

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

You're a great writer!

Brenda Susan said...

We humans are so funny aren't we? We keep trying to measure God & His love! Maybe it's because OUR love IS measurable, but His just isn't, & we can't quite get a hold of that concept. Beautiful post!

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

and a little child with lead...

you must be like that of a child to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

Serioulsy we do we make God so complicated?!

Nadine said...

Very beautiful. I needed to be reminded how big my God is. Thank you.

Erin said...

What a neat blog! I love uplifting thoughts and writing, and yours has both!

Kimberly said...

His love for me is something I grapple with as well. I, too, need to just enjoy it instead of spending so much time telling Him why He shouldn't love me.

Thanks for sharing your heart!
Hope you have a terrific weekend!
K :)

Unknown said...

I love what you wrote: "My daughter grapples to understand the physicality of God’s bigness. My brain let go of that struggle about the same time I stopped playing with dolls. Instead it is the prodigious portion of His love that I strive to understand. A love that I know I do not deserve, but is lavished upon me anyway." So true and stated so beautifully! Nice to meet you!

Pam said...

Thanks for that encouragment today!

I have an award for you on my blog!

Jennifer said...

Beautiful post! God's love is amazing!!!!

Jodee said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are a fabulous writer and I enjoyed reading this post.

Anonymous said...

I struggle with worry also. I am learning how to hold my thoughts in obedience to Christ. I think it will be a lifelong process.

Joyfulsister said...

Wow!! This is awesome and I love the way you put it into words that can only be given to you by the holy spirit. When I read the part when the Lord is speaking to you, it was as if I could feel him speaking into your spirit and you were writing as you listened with all of heart, spirit, and soul.
Beautiful my sister!!
My spirit has been blessed.

Hugz Lorie

Meridith said...

Praise the Lord for leading me to this post today.... it is exactly the message my heart needed... thank you....

I found your blog on Joyfully Living Blogroll!! I'm so excited to find other Christian bloggers to share with!!

Off to read more of your blog...

Rachel said...

What a wonderful reminder of the greatness of God! It is so nice to "meet" you :)

Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart said...

Glad I found this today. Even though I can't wrap my brain around it, I can surely let my heart delight in His love for me.

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