Today’s blog is another re-post from the archives.

Parents don’t like to admit this, but sometimes we don’t like the person our son or daughter has become.

When they’re rude, disrespectful, and hateful it can drive a wedge between us. Walls are erected to push us away. Barriers are built to keep us out. For a myriad of reasons, we’ve become the bad guy, the enemy. We’re hurt and angry. It’s awful. How could this person we brought into the world treat us this way? How could they change so much?

Alcohol and drugs changed them.

Depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and other mental illnesses changed them.

Bullies changed them.

Incarceration in jail or prison changed them.

Trauma changed them.

Their experiences have changed them.

Before long they’re no longer the person we once knew. The sweet, naive, innocent son or daughter we raised and had so many special memories of . . . where did they go? What happened to them? We’re perplexed. Baffled. Mystified. Our hearts hurt. Bad.

But they’re still our children. Underneath the mess and the mask they wear is a frightened, troubled soul. Our precious child is still in there – somewhere. And of course, we still love that person . . . we’d give our life for them

What can make the difference in their lives?

God’s unfailing love.

None of us deserves to be loved by the King of the universe, yet His love for us never fails, no matter what we’ve done.

Think about that for a moment. It’s out of the question for God to stop loving your child. That simply cannot happen. His love can’t wear out, give out, or fizzle out. He’s incapable of not loving. It’s impossible – can’t be done, absolutely absurd, inconceivable, unimaginable, and unthinkable. There’s “no way, no how!” for divine love to come to an end . . . ever! It will never cease to exist because love is the essence of who God is.

The Bible also tells us nothing can separate us from God’s love.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39, NIV).

How incredible.

NOT A THING

This truth comforted me when I thought about how unconditionally my daughter was loved by her Maker, no matter what she had done or what had been done to her. Belief in this fact gave me hope. If God could love her that much, then one day she just. might. be. okay.

I could put her in His hands and entrust her into His care because this amazing, redeeming, restoring love . . . this . . . this crazy love . . . was a sure thing. It had the power to transform. To change everything. And while I understood that Love didn’t guarantee she would be okay, I believed I could trust Him to do whatever needed to be done to reach her because this endless, immutable Love would be faithful forever.

As I thought about this I remembered a song:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning, new every morning. 

Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord. 

Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord.  Great is thy faithfulness.

The Bible sums up my thoughts in Lamentations 3:21-23,

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope; because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

And Psalm 119:76a,  May your unfailing love be my comfort . . .

Because God’s love never fails, there is always hope – for all of us.