Papa's love
We have a lab named Scout. The other morning the Lord drew my attention to Scout who wanted to curl up in my lap. She wanted to get as close as possible to me. I was a little annoyed because I was trying to drink my coffee and she was causing it to spill. If you knew Scout from the beginning, you would not recognize this odd behavior. She used to never want to be close to you, receive any verbal affirmation or any love you gave her. We always thought she had something wrong with her because she didn’t behave or interact with people like normal labs do. My amazing husband loves dogs and was determined to win Scout over with his love. This was a bit awkward at times because Scout didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Scout was fully and completely loved regardless of anything she did to warrant being loved. He was relentless to pursue her and shower her with love and affection.
As she crawled into my lap, the Lord said there is so much power in LOVE. He reminded me of the verse in I John 1:4 that says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” The picture of Scout curled up in my lap was proof that knowing you are loved and experiencing radical love casts out fear. A father’s love transformed this dog from being afraid and not engaging to desperate for love and affection. The Lord began to remind me again of the importance and critical nature of not just knowing your Heavenly Father loves you but truly experiencing His love firsthand.
One encounter with His limitless, reckless and unrestrained love will change you from the inside out. Love transforms. Love repairs. Love heals. Love reconciles. Love strengthens. Love refreshes. Love renews. Love revives. Love restores. Love brings hope. Love is the key to accessing the heavenly realms. Love reminds you where you are seated in Christ at the right hand of the Father. Love is modeled perfectly in the Trinity and available for you to access.
Do you know Papa’s love in this way? I know I didn’t for years until I was in a desperate place which drove me into my Father’s arms. The Holy Spirit lovingly took me on a journey of getting to know the Father’s heart and how crazy in love He is with me. May you, precious one, have a dramatic encounter with His love that leaves you marked and changed forever.