Guess How Much I Love You
We started a bedtime routine with Lola a couple of months ago. The 4 Bs: Bath, Bottle, Book, Bed. For us, it has worked really well. We have a few books that are in our rotation and one that is very popular is Guess How Much I Love You. Joe claims that this is his favorite, and I never understood why until tonight.
Joe is gone tonight for Back To School Night, and so I was in charge of putting Lola to bed. After I gave her a bottle, I was too lazy to get up and get a new book, so I just grabbed Guess How Much I Love You. It was still on the dresser from last night when Joe read it to her. I knew Miss Lola not realize she was being read the same story two nights in a row. My baby is smart but not that smart :)
Up until tonight, when I would read that book to Lola I would get so frustrated with Big Nutbrown Hare! If you are unfamiliar with the story, here's the gist of it...
Little Nutbrown Hare (LNH): Daddy, I love you as wide as my arms.
Big Nutbrown Hare (BNH): But I love you as wide as my arms.
LNH: Ok, well I love you as high as I can hop.
BNH: But I love you as high as I can hop.
LNH: I love you all the way up to the moon.
BNH: And I love you all the way up to the moon... and back.
Big Nutbrown Hare would never give Little Nutbrown Hare a break. And that drove me crazy! I would be thinking, "Come on, man. He's just a kid." But throughout the whole book Big Nutbrown Hare never gives in. For not even a minute does he let Little Nutbrown Hare think that his love is greater. He makes it very clear, that as a father, he loves his son more than his son loves him.
Surprisingly Little Nutbrown Hare does not get discouraged by that. I believe that when Little Nutbrown Hare realizes how much his father loves him, that makes him want to love his father even more. And with each example, he is trying even harder to prove his love to his father.
So as I am reading this book to Lola tonight, I received a very clear picture from God. That is the way He views us.
Yes, I love God, and I understand that He fully meets my every need and blesses me more than I every deserve. But I know that my love for Him will never come close to matching His love for me. And it was almost like I could hear Him say to me, "And you better not forget it."
In the story, Big Nutbrown Hare puts Little Nutbrown Hare in his place. Not to be mean, but he wants his son to know that he is the father. His love is greater. His love is higher. His love is stronger.
And just as Little Nutbrown Hare wants to prove his love to his father over and over and desires to love him more, that should be my response with God.
The power of His love should make me want to love Him more.
God put me in my place tonight. He is the Father, and I am the child. And no matter how much I love God, I can always rest in the truth that He loves me more.
Joe is gone tonight for Back To School Night, and so I was in charge of putting Lola to bed. After I gave her a bottle, I was too lazy to get up and get a new book, so I just grabbed Guess How Much I Love You. It was still on the dresser from last night when Joe read it to her. I knew Miss Lola not realize she was being read the same story two nights in a row. My baby is smart but not that smart :)
Up until tonight, when I would read that book to Lola I would get so frustrated with Big Nutbrown Hare! If you are unfamiliar with the story, here's the gist of it...
Little Nutbrown Hare (LNH): Daddy, I love you as wide as my arms.
Big Nutbrown Hare (BNH): But I love you as wide as my arms.
LNH: Ok, well I love you as high as I can hop.
BNH: But I love you as high as I can hop.
LNH: I love you all the way up to the moon.
BNH: And I love you all the way up to the moon... and back.
Big Nutbrown Hare would never give Little Nutbrown Hare a break. And that drove me crazy! I would be thinking, "Come on, man. He's just a kid." But throughout the whole book Big Nutbrown Hare never gives in. For not even a minute does he let Little Nutbrown Hare think that his love is greater. He makes it very clear, that as a father, he loves his son more than his son loves him.
Surprisingly Little Nutbrown Hare does not get discouraged by that. I believe that when Little Nutbrown Hare realizes how much his father loves him, that makes him want to love his father even more. And with each example, he is trying even harder to prove his love to his father.
So as I am reading this book to Lola tonight, I received a very clear picture from God. That is the way He views us.
Yes, I love God, and I understand that He fully meets my every need and blesses me more than I every deserve. But I know that my love for Him will never come close to matching His love for me. And it was almost like I could hear Him say to me, "And you better not forget it."
In the story, Big Nutbrown Hare puts Little Nutbrown Hare in his place. Not to be mean, but he wants his son to know that he is the father. His love is greater. His love is higher. His love is stronger.
And just as Little Nutbrown Hare wants to prove his love to his father over and over and desires to love him more, that should be my response with God.
The power of His love should make me want to love Him more.
God put me in my place tonight. He is the Father, and I am the child. And no matter how much I love God, I can always rest in the truth that He loves me more.
So good, Lindsay! I love you!
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