Guess how much I love you?
Originally published at Growing Faith on 30th May, 2013. © Youthworks 2013.
Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare’s very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening.
‘Guess how much I love you,’ he said.
‘Oh, I don’t think I could guess that,’ said Big Nutbrown Hare.
‘This much,’ said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go.
Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. ‘But I love YOU this much,’ he said.”
Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You is one of my kid’s favourite books. Well … ok … it’s one of my favourite books. Here's three reasons why I love it:
It’s a book about a father and a son who love each other and really enjoy each other. The two characters play and laugh together as they try to outdo each other in their expression of love for each other. There’s the perfect mixture of both family fun and genuine care and affection. It’s the kind of relationship that I want to keep developing with my kids.
It’s a joy to read. The pictures are beautiful, the text is repetitive enough for my two and four year old to (somewhat) know it by heart and “read” with me, and when we’re feeling particularly playful, gives us actions to copy and plenty of opportunities for hugs, tickles and other physical affection.
The last reason I enjoy the book so much is that it reminds me of our relationship with our heavenly Father. Like the Little Nutbrown Hare, I love my heavenly dad. In fact, the Scriptures extol me to love him. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Deut. 6:5 & Matt. 22:37). “Love the LORD, all you saints!” (Ps. 31:23)
In my best moments, I want to express my love for God through my marriage, my work, my ministry, my study, my driving, my eating, my TV watching and my raising of my kids. But just like Little Nutbrown Hare, my love for my Father, while genuinely sought, is small, fallible, inadequate and ultimate overshadowed by the love he has for me.
My Heavenly Father IS love (Ex 34:6; 1 Jn. 4:16) and “his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136). He has shown his love to me through his creation, his Scriptures, his constant providence and his numerous answers to my (often half-hearted) prayers. And of course, he has ultimately shown his love for me by sending his Son Jesus Christ to live, die and rise again in my place, taking the punishment for my sin, that I deserve.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5).
I’m sure God must shake his head and laugh patiently at my futile attempts to show him love. As I plan and deliver a Scripture lesson, speak patiently to my kids and study throughout the night my sin-stained heart calls out “See how much I love you!” And God replies, “Yes Tim. And do you see how much I love you?!”