It Was So Worth It!

I say to my husband, "That was fun!"  "Yes it was!" he responds. We both smile and state "It was so worth it." 

Let me explain.

We decided to get season passes to a nearby water park a few years ago. It was an expensive decision. Especially for a family of five!  Each year we wait until the kiddos come home from their last day of school and surprise them.  They squeal with excitement every time! We spend the summer packing them in the van and spending about 4 hours in water each visit. They have a blast. My husband and I always look at each other and say "That was fun! It was so worth it!"

Seventeen years ago, "That was fun and it was so worth it!" meant something completely different.  It meant concerts in the parks, dinner with live jazz, dancing, festivals, dinner with friends and nice quiet evenings at home.  It didn't include kid music concerts, little league football, cheer, water parks, snack bags or games of tag.  It was just the two of us enjoying each other.

Fast forward to now...

Don't get me wrong. We still love those "2 people no kids" activities and could use more of them. However, it's amazing how our hearts have been transformed.  Life moves and our desires change. Same words different meanings. 

Of course we don't enjoy being in the heat, batting flies, or putting on swimsuits! Ha! But we LOVE seeing the excitement in our kids' eyes. How could we love these little kids who fight, leave messes, break things, disobey and are at times unappreciative?  We get excited to get involved in activities that are of no benefit to us but are completely about blessing them. They are ours and it's about our love for them. It's worth the time, cost and sacrifice.

I get it...

Reminds me of my Father in Heaven.  How can he love us? We are people who fight, leave messes, break things, disobey and are many times unappreciative. He continues to bless us just because he is good. He loves seeing us smile, blessing us and keeping us close! We are his and its about his love for us. 

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

Our limited parental love cannot be compared to our Lord's limitless love for us. It overwhelms my heart to think that the Lord gave (cost) his life (sacrifice) for us and through grace tells us daily:

 "I love you. It was so worth it."

Blessings!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

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