Optimist Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God“. These words from the book of
1John 3:1 remind us how much God truly loves us. God loves us so much, first of all, that He has given us our identity as His children. Do you ever stop and think about how special it is to be called God‘s children?
This is the image that we can see as we read the Bible because Jesus had that kind of relationship with God that a loving father or a loving mother has with their child. That same kind of closeness in a relationship with God is available to us.
God offers each of us love without limits. Back in the early Christian church, the idea of God as a loving Father who gives us our identity as His children was life-changing to the new converts back then. Knowing that we are loved, that God wants us to have a relationship of trust and caring with us, is more than enough to give our life meaning and purpose. Yes, God loves us so much that He has given us our identity as His children.
In this particular passage it says that God is shaping us to be like Jesus. We can’t know for sure what the future holds. And we can’t know for certain what eternal life will be like. But we know that God‘s plan is to use every moment of our lives to create in us the character, spirit and mind of Jesus. God is at work in the big and small moments of our lives, opening our eyes to new truths and new opportunities for love and service and insight and wisdom. No experience in our lives will be wasted. Every experience, every moment is a new opportunity to grow our character to reflect more of Jesus.
There are countless stories out there of people whose lives have been changed because of their relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father. God loves us so much that He calls us His children, He helps us to be like Jesus and gives us hope every day we live. It all begins with trusting in God as your loving Father!
