No Greater Love
Maribeth Benson

My grandkids who live back east with Uncle Sam (the United States Airforce) are coming out west to visit us for 2 weeks. I have not seen them for a year and my expectancy is over the top! Caughnery and Lorelai are the most amazing 9 and 4-year-olds on the face of this earth. They are way above the normal intellect, in fact, I am pretty sure they are considered genius. Their athleticism has probably already gotten the attention of the Olympic committee. Caughnery for sure with his track feats. Lorelai may be a little too young yet to prophesy on her future gold medals but we are sure she is already a prodigy when it comes to painting. I have to say her portrait of Gammie with the purple hair on a stick figure has the same Van Gogh-like quality.
I was listening to a Graham Cooke teaching on love the other day and he reiterated over and over again how much God loves us. He said, “He loves you, He loves you, He loves you, there is nothing that you could do to make Him love you anymore or any less, His love for you is endless!”
That is exactly how my love is for my grandkids. There is nothing that they could do to make me love them any more or any less. In fact, when my daughter recounts some of their ‘hilarious’ incidents to me, I just love them even more. I do have to admit my daughter has some bald spots on her head now.
Isn’t it cool though that we don’t have to perform for Him to make Him notice us? We are not only the apple of His eye we are the entire fruit basket! He knows we are a work in progress and He thinks we are hilarious, too. Sometimes I need to remind my daughter about that with my grandkids, especially when Lorelai tried to drive the car into a tree last week while Mom was unsticking the cat from under the garage door; or when Caughnery decided to stir the 5 gallons of pink paint with his arm and then proceed to drip it all over the floor. Yes, she still loves them and there is nothing that they could do that would make her love them any more or LESS.
Personally I really don’t think it is possible to love my grandkids any more than I already do so when I contemplate how much He loves me, it is almost too much to comprehend. I think He scratches His head a bit over some of my antics and hopefully hasn’t gotten any bald spots on account of me, nevertheless, it is such a relief to know He always loves me, delights over me and even rejoices over me with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, “The Lord your God …will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Singing a song with arms outstretched waiting for my grandkids arrival!

Gammie Maribeth