Seeking God Daily

I love being a grandpa. It gives me license to be silly. My two grown sons can’t figure out what happened to me. They watch me with my seven grandkids and just shake their heads in disbelief. “Is this really the man we called Dad? Is this the guy who told us to stop being gross, don’t do anything stupid in public, grow up, quiet down, and be careful? Look at him now, he’s embarrassing us.” And you know what? They’re right…and I don’t care because the grandkids love it. When I crack my nose or ask the grandkids to pull my finger or talk like Larry Boy the Cucumber or distort my face and I hear them yell, “Again Papa”, I just have to give them more.

One of the more civilized activities I love to share in with my grandkids is reading to and with them. Especially books that engage their impressionable young minds, have cool illustrations, and a message that young and old can comprehend. One such book has a long history in our family. Grandma read it to me, Mom read it to our sons, and I’ve read it to our grandkids; one of those books that is so sweet and simple and at the same time is powerful and profound. It’s Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny, a story of a little bunny who tells his mother that he is going to run away. The mother tells the bunny that no matter where he goes or what he does she will not give up or go away. “If you run away I will run after you, for you are my little bunny.” Little bunny finally gives in to his mother’s persistence and says, “Shucks, I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny”.

That’s a relentless love; love that is unshakeable and immovable, love that is never leaving but forever loving. It’s a picture of God’s love for us. Listen to Psalm 139:7-10. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, you right hand will hold me fast.” His perfect love is always present, always pursuing, always providing, always protecting. He demonstrated this relentless love when He extended mercy, grace, and forgiveness to us through the life, death, and resurrection of His One and Only Son, Jesus (Romans 5:8).

Have you come to the place in your life where you realize that God will not give up on you or go away from you? If you have, how about taking the time to thank Him for loving you so completely. If you haven’t or you’ve strayed from His love, how about giving in to your heavenly Father’s persistence right now? Absolutely nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35). It’s relentless!