My son and his family spent the weekend at our house recently. He commented how having a child has brought him a deeper understanding of our relationship with God. I couldn’t agree more, and I remember my first glimpse of understanding along those lines.

It was my first year as a camp counselor and my first week with children in my charge. I’m the oldest of six children myself and I was excited to phone home and tell my mother all about the experience. In sharing about the exploits of my cabin group I said, “You can’t imagine what it’s like to be responsible for these kids day and night, seeing that they eat and get to bed and…” Suddenly I paused as it dawned on me who I was talking to and I sheepishly finished with, “…well maybe you can imagine.”

We are called children of God. And that means something. Actually it means far more then we can imagine. Even those of us who have children still only get a glimpse of what the pure love of our Heavenly Father looks like. And yet, much like I did with my mother in my youth, we approach God as if He doesn’t get it. As if He can’t imagine the trials and the struggles and the joys of whatever we happen to be experiencing in the moment. We rush to Him with news that isn’t really news at all to Him and think that we’re the first ones to discover whatever it is we’ve discovered.

And much like my mother during that long ago phone call, God listens patiently as we make our discoveries…perhaps with a little chuckle. And He loves us with an overwhelming love that we’ll never fully understand. Because we’re children…of His…because of the kind of love He has given us.

The above devotion was written/compiled from multiple sources by Tim Kurth, Mission and Ministry Advancement at Lutheran Church Charities.