Unconditional Love

Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s unconditional love. 

One day, my son Cameron, who was thirteen then, said, “Mom, kids can be rotten sometimes. Have you ever regretted having kids?” I answered him with a confident “NO.” (I have questioned whether I’d make it out alive but never regretted having kids.) He went on to tell me that he’s never going to have kids because they can be horrible, and he would probably end up wanting to get rid of them. He then went on to play with our little Shih Tzu, Lily. 

I asked him if he would ever consider getting rid of Lily. He looked at me like I was crazy, telling me he couldn’t get rid of her. “Well, what if she bit you?” He was adamant he would keep her. “What if she pooped all over your room?” With a look of disgust on his face, he emphatically said that he still wouldn’t have the heart to get rid of her. I explained that he couldn’t let her go because of his love for her. Even when she does something terrible, we still love her. I tried to explain that with a child, there’s a whole different, powerful, unconditional love that we as parents feel, that even when our kids are “rotten,” we still love them and never want to let them go.

His questions, sometimes deep, keep me on my toes. Sometimes, I wonder where exactly his mind goes. But this one made me wish that I could somehow transport him into my heart to help him fully understand the depth of love I have for him and my other two children. If only for a moment, I wish my kids could understand my love for them. Parents would be happy if we could get our kids to understand we’re not trying to ruin their lives, am I right? But I suppose that’s a different topic for another time.

I figure my son will not fully understand until the day he holds his little one in his arms. When he gazes into his child’s tiny, little face and is overwhelmed with emotion, he will realize the depth of a parent’s love. The kind of love that runs so deep it is willing to sacrifice one’s life. Much like the love of Christ, the perfect example of unconditional love. A love that was willing to suffer and die, all the while knowing we’d be “rotten.”

I believe there have been many instances when Christ whispered to us, “If only you could understand my love for you.” I’m willing to bet that it’s been times when we’ve messed up and think that what we’ve done is so wrong that he won’t forgive us. Maybe He whispered to us while we were broken, thinking we were beyond repair. Perhaps he’s whispering it to you right now. No matter the circumstance, Christ’s love doesn’t change. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done; Christ knows all about it. And he still gave up his life for you. It might not make sense, but we don’t have to understand it to receive it.

Jesus loves us unconditionally.

Jesus knew that while he was willing to lay down his life, people would reject him. He knew that after all he would do for us, there would still be some who would hate him. They would turn on him and curse him. And yet, he still did it! He chose to love us, knowing our love for him would have many conditions. I’m so grateful that Christ’s love for me isn’t dependent on me. And it isn’t dependent on you. The fact is, he loves us – unconditionally. ♥